Wands of Destiny
by Exotos135
Summary: The Council of Queens and Magic High Commission have ruled Mewni in peace for thousands of years. But when a fateful encounter brings humans into the scene, followed by the discovery of the Great Magical Godchildren, how long it'll be before everything is turned upside down?
1. Pilot

**Yup, what you're seeing is real: I'm posting an SVTFOE AU. And oh lord, compared to the show, nothing's the same anymore. NOTHING.**

 **Okay, it's not as extreme as I'm making it sound, but it's still fairly different. I prefer showing over telling, if possible, so I think I'll let you guys read this story first rather than give a super massive info dump about the AU. And if you have any questions (And I believe you will), just pm me about it and I'll see if I can answer you, without spoiling too much.**

 **Am I going to turn this into a full story? Depends on what you guys say: Would you like to see this story continued? Or would you rather have it shown through pictures, drawn on my Deviantart over at Chaoticson? Tell me what you think in the reviews, and remember, if you have any questions, and you do have an account, pm me these questions and I'll see if I can answer.**

 **So, without further ado, let's get going to the story!**

* * *

It was around midnight at the city of Echo Creek, and a cloaked figure with a flashlight walked around the first floor of a certain place known as the Diaz Household, the shine from the flashlight being the only light guiding them in their way. The figure took a quick look around the premises, making sure not to crash with anything on the way, like the pillars that were erected around.

Each pillar had a certain object on top of it, encased in a glass container: The horn of a unicorn, a pair of scissors, what looked like a reptillian skull, a tiara with eye-like gems encrusted in it, and so on and so forth.

But the pillar that caught the figure's attention the most was the one in the middle, holding a severed finger inside. But there was one peculiar thing about this finger: It wasn't a human finger, rather, it looked like it belonged to a reptile of some sort... and yet, it did seem to share the properties of a humanoid-

"Marco!"

The figure flinched and hit the ground, uncovering their face to reveal themselves to be Marco Diaz, only child of the Diaz household. And then the lights were turned on to show Marco's parents, Rafael and Angie, with worried looks.

"Oh, hi Mom, hi Dad," Marco greeted as his parents helped him stand up. "Was I being a loud guard again?"

"No, but your shift ended a couple hours ago, your father _should've_ taken over for you by now," Angie explained, giving her husband an angry look before she turned back to her son. "Why are you still guarding the artifacts?"

"Mom, you know that we get our customers mostly because of these magical artifacts, and some are such cheapskates they'd rather steal them for themselves rather then pay for them," Marco dusted himself and stretched. "If we leave one of these things unguarded for even a second, some random jerk could steal them!"

"Yes, but we're still human, Marco, and humans need a full sleep to work at their very best," Rafael answered, putting a hand on his son's shoulder. "I mean, it's not like we can survive a full day without sleep, like me-"

Angie jabbed Rafael in the gut, shutting him up and letting her speak, "Look, go back to your room and have a goodnight sleep, sweetie. Your dad'll take over the guarding duty from here."

Marco glanced at both his parents, who nodded at him to do it, and he smiled a little before he hugged them, and walked back upstairs, waving goodbye as he got his goodnight sleep.

 _ **Later, at the morning...**_

The sun rose high in the city of Echo Creek, with a rooster doing it's usual, but most likely unwanted call as the sunlight entered through the windows of a certain Diaz household, right into the bedroom of the boy known as Marco Diaz.

The guy, though briefly irritated by the invading sunlight, quickly woke up and yawned before he jumped off his bed and got dressed in his usual outfit.

"Marco, son, are you ready!" called Marco's parents from downstairs, primarily his mother, Angie. "Remember you have school today!"

"Yeah, Mom, I'm almost ready!" Marco shouted in return. "I'll be down there in a minute, don't worry!"

Once Marco finished getting dressed up, he took a brief look at his overall appearence, of which the only notable feature that would catch attention was the little claw scar right next to his mole. It wasn't anything that could threaten his life, but it was still pretty noticeable and hard to miss. Nevertheless, Marco grabbed his backpack and walked down to the kitchen, where he saw he had... a single piece of bread as breakfast.

His mother, Angie, quickly arrived and put some meat and another loaf of bread on top of it, causing Marco to shake his head before he sat down to eat it.

"So, did anything happen last night?" Marco inquired, taking a bite out of his sandwich. "You know, after dad took over the shift?"

"Nope, besides your Dad sleeping on the couch with the artifacts, nothing weird happened," Angie answered as she sat next to her son and brushed his hair. "Say, are you going to go straight to your school or-"

"I'm gonna check up on Jackie, Janna, and Brittney first," Marco answered, taking another bite of his food before asking, "Do you need me to do something?"

"Well, you know how's the situation with your friends," Angie took out three paper bags, each with a different name written on one side. "So I also made some sandwiches for them: Tuna for Jackie, chicken for Janna, peanut butter and jelly for Alfonzo and Ferguson, and turkey for Brittney."

"You really are a saint sometimes, Mom, I'll be sure to give them the sandwiches when I get the chance," Marco finished eating his food and kissed his Mom in the cheek. "Well, I'm off to school, see ya later, Mom!"

However, just as Marco stood up, Angie stood up as well and grabbed his arm before saying, with a serious tone, "Please, stay away from the monsters."

Marco touched his scar for a moment, then gave his Mother a nod of agreement before she released him. Angie waved goodbye as her son left the house, and walked off to the first place he though to go, besides school of course: The beach.

And why the beach, in particular? Because right at the shore was a certain blonde girl he was very familiar with, moving in a smooth fashion as a pair of giant water arms repeated her motions in an equally graceful manner.

This girl was Jackie Lynn Thomas, who Marco watched with a little smile as he walked a bit closer to see her smooth motions, until she stopped with both her arms, and the water arms, up above her. Seeing this, Marco's smile turned mischivieous and he shouted:

"Yo, Lazulynn!"

Jackie flinched and the water arms dissipated, falling on top of Jackie and getting her all wet as Marco laughed out loud, which was soon followed by Jackie once she shook off the water like a dog.

"Marco, you sneaky little jerk!" Jackie shouted as Marco walked closer to her. "How many times have I told you not to startle me while I'm training!"

Marco chuckled. "Hey, _you're_ the one who always boasts about being wet all the time!"

"That has nothing to do with this! And besides, you know I meant that as a joke!" Jackie grabbed her hair and brushed it. "But, you know what, you're cute, so I'll let it slide this time."

"Just like last time?" Marco scratched his chin. "And the time before that, and the time before that one-"

Jackie smirked and cracked her knuckles. "You know what, Marco? You're right, I've been rather relaxed with you..."

Jackie lifted her fist, and a massive fist made of water burst from the ocean body nearby. "Maybe I should punish you, just this once!"

"Whoa, I'm sorry, I-I was just joking!" Marco flinched and waved his hands as Jackie remained frozen on her spot, sporting a smug smirk on her face. "No need to hit me with that water fist, right?"

"Haha, relax, dude, I was just joking," Jackie lowered her arm and looked at her seashell-shaped pendant as the fist dissipated back into the body of water. "I'd never hurt you after you personally gave me this necklace."

"To be fair, you could've found that necklace on your own, you just so happened to find it first on Mom and Dad's artifacts," Marco looked at the ground and scratched his chin. "Come to think of it, Mom and Dad always tend to find these things, and they've never told me where or why..."

The guy shrugged it off and put his hands in his pockets. "Anyway, I'm going to check up on the inner circle, you know? I decided to see how you were doing first, for obvious reasons, and I see you're doing pretty well."

"Well, I was doing well until you startled me," Jackie laughed and tried to resume her previous movement. "Are you gonna go look for Janna next? She is the owner of your best friends' grimoire, after all."

Marco shook his head. "I still can't help but remember how I told those three it wasn't something they could play with."

The boy quickly remembered the sandwiches, and he took Jackie's paper bag and handed it to her as he said, "By the way, my mom made you and the guys some sandwiches for breakfast."

"Aw, that's so nice of her!" Jackie said as she grabbed the bag. "But your mom does know she doesn't have to do this, right?"

"Well, she probably sees herself as a mother to you and the rest of the girls as well, seeing how close we are in general, so I don't think she cares too much," Marco saved the paper bags and waved goodbye as he ran off. "Anyway, I'm off to see Janna, Ferguson, and Alfonzo! Good luck with your training!"

Jackie returned the wave and glanced at the bag, then the ocean, before she sat down and started eating the sandwich.

 ** _Later, at the library..._**

Marco quickly found Janna in the same spot she usually was: The seat closes to the entrance to the library. And alongside her were Ferguson and Alfonzo, who were floating nearby with black lines running down the edges of their mouths and eyes. Janna sat on a chair, wearing a pair of brown glasses as she surfed through the pages of a book, with a slight hint of annoyance.

"Ugh, why is it that whenever we unlock a new spell, it's somewhere random in the book, rather than right after the last new spell we found?" the beanie gal said to herself before she reached the very last page of the book. "Aha, here it is! Let me see... Visio Immateris!"

Alfonzo and Ferguson immediately disappeared, which they quickly noticed as Ferguson exclaimed, "Hey! We're invisible! Although we can still see ourselves!"

And then, after a couple seconds, the guys turned back to normal. "Huh, looks like it doesn't last for long."

"So, you can turn invisible, huh? And you can phase through things in general, too..." Janna scratched her chin as Marco walked closer to her. "You know, I might have an idea on how to use this power you guys just got."

"Let me guess," Marco blurted, getting the trio's attention. "You're gonna have them fly into the cheerleaders' dressing room and spy on them? 'Cause I wouldn't approve of that, you know?"

"Marco!" Alfonzo and Ferguson exclaimed in delight.

"Don't be ridiculous, Marco; Why just send them there, when they can bring me back a little gift as well?" Janna closed her grimoire, with Ferguson and Alfonzo being sucked into it moments before, and gave the boy the pointer finger. "I'm gonna have them bring me their panties as well!"

"Oh my, Janna, you've certainly lost your touch," Marco sneered. "Why just take the panties of the cheerleaders? Why not the panties from the cheerleaders, and the teachers?"

"Ohoho, you may think I'm getting soft, but you're wrong, Diaz!" Janna stood up folded her arms. "I'm gonna have them bring me the panties of all the girls, and women, of Echo Creek! In fact..."

Marco and Janna said the next stuff in unison, "Why just steal their panties, when they can get their stockings, bras, and lingerie as well?!"

The pair laughed maniacally before the laughter broke down into a friendlier one, which ended once the librarian finally arrived and gestured them to keep their mouths shut. Once she was out of view, Janna whispered, "I like it when we do that stuff, it always cheers me up. What are you doing here, by the way?"

"I came to check up on you and see if you and the guys were doing alright," Marco handed Janna the three paper bags for her, Alfonzo and Ferguson. "And also to deliver you these sandwiches my Mom made for you."

"Geez, your old woman did this again?" Janna asked as she opened the book again, releasing the boys so they could get their bags, "I thought you already talked to her about treating us like we were her children or something."

"I did, but as you can plainly see, that hasn't really stopped her from doing it," Marco put his hands on his pocket. "Anyway, I gotta go see one last person before I go to school. Be sure to go there when you're finished, alright, Janna?"

"Yes, Daddy, I got it, please stop telling me what to do," Janna scoffed, rolling her eyes as she took a bite out of her sandwich.

Marco chuckled and brushed Janna's hair before he left the library and headed for the school. As he left, Janna, Alfonzo, and Ferguson ate their sandwiches as they watched him leave, with Janna getting a little relieved smile once he was out of sight.

"You know, Marco's been a lot more relaxed and laidback lately," Ferguson remarked, with Alfonzo nodding in agreement. "Whatever happened to the uptight safe kid we knew?"

"Well, I can tell you one thing for sure," Alfonzo glanced at Janna, who immediately noticed him, then whispered to Ferguson, "He changed once he and Janna started da-"

Moments before he could finish, Janna, with her face fully red, closed the book, with the boys once again being absorbed into it before it was fully closed. She then shoved the book in her bag, and continued to eat her sandwich, trying to ignore what she almost heard.

 ** _Back with Marco..._**

Once at the school, he went inside, but rather than go to his classroom, he went to the gymnasium, where he saw the cheerleading squad surrounding the door to the girls' bathroom. For some reason, they wore animal-themed headbands, and had tails coming out of their backs, although Marco didn't pay much attention to this detail as he walked towards them.

"Um, hi girls, it's me, Marco," the guy greeted, trying his hardest to watch his words as the partially animalistic girls glared at him. "Listen, I already saw how Jackie and Janna are doing, and the only person remaining in my inner circle that I need to check on, is Brittney. I was wondering if she was around here?"

The cheerleaders exchanged looks, and one of them eventually pushed Sabrina up front, with the redhead glaring at the girls before she walked to Marco.

"Brittney is around, Marco, but she's having one of... those episodes," Sabrina glanced at the door. "You know, one of those where she needs to be completely alone until she fixes it for the moment. We're waiting for her to finish with that."

"I'll wait with you as well, then," Marco stated.

"You don't have to do that, Marco, specially since classes are about to start," Chantelle replied as Marco sat in the middle of the cheerleaders and looked at the door. "Go on and get to your classroom before the bell rings."

"Girls, I'm flattered that you're worried about my classes enough to insist that I should go ahead," Marco brushed Chantelle's hair. "But I care about Brittney as much as you do, so I'm staying here until she comes out."

The girls, not seeing any problem with the situation at the moment, allowed Marco to stay with them to wait for Brittney.

 ** _Inside the girls' bathroom..._**

Brittney Wong stood in front of the mirror, looking strictly at her reflection, which sported a bang of a different color than the rest of her raven hair. Instead of being black, it was perfectly pink, which was big enough to cover her left eye. She blew some wind at the bang, but it simply went back down and hit her as a ghostly voice spoke from nowhere.

" _Must we hide the hair?_ "

"Yes, because I'm going to get into a lot of trouble if Mrs. Skullnick sees me with what she _thinks_ is dyed hair!" Brittney snapped, before blowing the pink bang again. "Look, we've been through this before: You can be inside my body, but you must try your hardest not to manipulate my appearence during school time!"

" _Why must you care so much about this "school" you keep mentioning?_ " the ghostly voice inquired, growing meek as it added, " _School's filled with people... weird people... scary people... crazy people... I don't like these people..._ "

"I know, and trust me, I don't like some of those guys either, but the school has rules that everybody needs to follow, and the last time I couldn't follow them-because of you-I got into big trouble I'd rather not get into again!" Brittney snapped, taking a deep breath as she tried to calm down. "Listen, when school's over, you can dye my hair and give me whatever powers you want, but just wait patiently until school's over for today."

The voice remained silent for a moment, before saying, " _Please... when it's done... take me away from here... away from the people..._ "

Brittney smiled. "I promise you, once school's over, it'll be just the two of us for the rest of this day."

Brittney's pink lock of hair turned completely black afterwards. She touched it and played with it a little bit afterwards, but even though it felt normal and harmless now, the girl knew well enough that she couldn't let her guard down just yet. She made a promise, and she had to make good on it, so she walked out of the bathroom, and was immediately surprised to see Marco alongside the cheerleaders.

"Marco?!" Brittney exclaimed, before putting up an angry tone. "What are you doing here, Diaz?!"

"I came to check up on you, and since you were on the bathroom, I decided to wait with your fellow cheerleaders for you to come out," Marco handed Brittney her paper bag. "And also, my mom made you a sandwich, I hope you like it."

Brittney took the paper bag, ate a piece of the sandwich, and she glanced at her cheerleading teammates before she turned to Marco and said, "Thanks, Diaz."

Marco flashed a peace sign, and he promptly left the gymnasium to walk towards his classroom. He grabbed the doorknob, took a deep breath, then twisted the doorknob and entered the classroom for yet another "mundane" day at his school.

 ** _Meanwhile, in the castle of Mewni..._**

A door was opened, revealing Moon, the queen of Mewni, sleeping on a royal-sized bed on top of a bunch of papers. The person who opened the door was her husband, King River, who took a closer look at his sleeping wife before coming to a conclusion.

"Yup, she'll remain like that unless I do something about it," River turned to one of the nearby guardsmen and said, "Guards, bring me the morning wood!"

Moon snorted some more before River literally threw a large tree trunk at her. A throw that was hard enough to wake her up, but do absolutely nothing else.

"River, what have I told you about waking me up with the Morning Wood?!" Moon snapped at her husband as she got up. "I already have enough headaches brought by my work, I don't need a concussion as well!"

"I'm sorry, darling, but if I hadn't done that, you would've slept past noon... again," River answered. "And before you say anything else, let me point out, darling, that everybody in the kingdom knows how much of a heavy sleeper you are."

"A trait that your fellow council members will remind you, has been inherited by your daughter,"

Moon stood up in an instant and turned around to spot two familiar figures entere her room. The first was Mrs. Heinous, otherwise known as Meteora, arms folded behind her back as she looked at Moon with a stern glare, and the second was Eclipsa, who put a hand on her cheek as she maintained her normal, carefree smile on her face.

"After all, like mother, like daughter, right?" Eclipsa cheerfully spoke, before adding in a more serious tone. "Now, let's get to business: There's a matter we need to discuss, and all of the council members need to be present."

"That means you, me, Mom, and Star have to go to the council palace this instant," Meteora stated. "And going by what Mom just said, Star will be likely near impossible to wake up without you being there to wake her up."

Moon raised an annoyed eyebrow. "Why do you want Star to go to the meeting? I thought we agreed we wouldn't let her participate in a meeting until she earned her "queenly title," as you call it."

"And that's not changing anytime soon, either," Meteora shook her head. "However, we can't just leave your daughter alone here, so while _we_ discuss the matter, _she'll_ go train with the past queens, as tradition states."

Moon sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Look, I really wouldn't suggest this like nothing, but why don't you just throw a morning wood at her, just like how River did to me a while ago."

Eclipsa snapped her fingers, and a bunch of torn and broken tree trunks materialized from nowhere. "Because this is what happened."

"I'm still surprised you kept those things in your dimension," Meteora remarked as Eclipsa snapped her fingers once more, making the "morning woods" vanish from existence.

"Always make sure you keep any evidence or proof you could use for your advantage, darling," Eclipsa winked at her daughter, Meteora. "Now, Moon, get up and wake up Star, alright?"

"Ugh, fine," Moon rubbed her forehead. "But try to find another way to wake me up in the future, dear lord."

The mother-daughter pairing left the room, and Moon got up before walking to Star's bedroom, with her husband staying behind to clean the room afterwards. As for Moon, she immediately walked to her daughter, Star's, bedroom, and once she opened the door, she saw her daughter standing upright, reading a book with an exasperated look.

"Star?" Moon walked towards her daughter, who turned to face the woman with a tired look. "You're already awake?"

Star took a deep breath and closed the book. "I woke up two hours ago, although I can't tell you for what reason in particular. One minute I was fast asleep, and the next thing I know, I hear some weird, distorted sound, and I'm laying awake while the moon's still up in the sky."

Moon glanced at Star's book, particularly the title; "How to fall asleep." The woman grabbed the book and read it as Star continued, "I went to the library and picked up that book, and I've been trying to read it to fall asleep again, but no matter how much I read it, I just... can't do it."

Star turned to her mother with a tired smile, "Anyway, do you need something?"

However, much to Star's surprise, Moon actually looked half-asleep as she flipped the page of the book, prompting Star to yell "Mom!" before snatching the book away, returning the woman back to reality soon afterwards.

"W-Well, there's a matter that the council needs to discuss, and I need you to come with me, as usual," Moon explained, brushing her daughter's head. "So, get dressed, and go to the same spot as usual when you're ready, alright?"

Star looked at her bed and silently nodded, her tired look turning into an annoyed one as Moon got up and left. She waved goodbye to Star at the doorframe, but Star continued to look at her bed as she returned the wave, with Moon frowning and closing the door afterwards.

 ** _A couple hours later..._**

Moon, now fully dressed and ready to go to the council, met up with Eclipsa and Meteora, who were standing close to a door with five symbols: A heart, a club, a spades, a diamond, and... a star inside a circle.

"Did you manage to wake up Star?" Eclipsa inquired.

"Actually, Star was already awake when I checked her bedroom," Moon answered, twiddling her fingers as she looked elsewhere. "So, I told her everything and..."

With her sudden pause and subsequent frown, Moon looked at the ground, while Meteora and Eclipsa exchanged looks before asking, in unison, "What's wrong?"

"After I told Star about the meeting, she became rather... upset," Moon clasped her hands. "Do you think that, after years of doing the same thing, she's starting to become tired about the fact we're sending her to train, rather than letting her join the meeting, because of her lack of title?"

"Of course she'd be upset at the fact she lacks a queenly title," Eclipsa pointed out before pointing at her daughter. "I mean, Meteora over here whined about her lack of one every day until she became the Queen of Discipline."

"W-Well, you were just as childish when you wanted to change your title from "Queen of Darkness" to "Queen of Nothingness," all because you thought it sounded cooler!" Meteora blushed as she snapped at her mother, before calming down and taking a deep breath. "And besides, Moon, even if Star's visibly upset about it, she understands that without having any idea what she could provide to the discussion, her presence would be irrelevant at best."

"Well, maybe she could be the voice of reason?" Moon suggested with a worried look.

Meteora narrowed her eyes. "I already _am_ the voice of reason, Moon."

"Listen, Moon, we understand you're worried about Star's role, or lack of one, in the council, but she's much more reasonable and understanding than you give her credit for," Eclipsa put a hand on Moon's shoulder as she spoke with a gente tone. "Besides, since you said Star woke up earlier than usual, don't you think she was upset because she wasn't going to go back to sleep anytime soon?"

Just before Moon could answer, the trio heard someone loudly yawn, which prompted them to turn around to and see Star walking towards them. She was fully dressed, just like her mother, but her tired demeanor remained from the look of things.

"Okay, I'm ready," Star said tiredly. "Are we gonna go to the palace or what?"

Moon wrapped her arm around Star's shoulder, and the quartet walked to the door and went inside. On the other side of the door was a star-shaped device of sorts, capable of holding the ladies as they got on top of it, with the device starting to glow soon after. Before they paid attention to it, the ladies flew up and went through some sort of portal, with star, heart, spades, diamond, and club sparkles all around it as the women remained in that location for a while.

Once they reached their destination, the ladies found themselves slightly in the air, on top of a similar device like before, only the star was now surrounded by a circle. And though Moon, Eclipsa, and Meteora landed on their feet once they fell, Star slipped and crashed face-first on the ground, muttering "ow" as the queens came to her aid.

"Star, are you alright?!" Moon asked as she helped the lady get up.

"Of course she is, Lunatic!"

Star looked up to see a familiar group jump out of a giant portal. This team was the Magic High Commission, with Rhombulus, Hekapoo, Omnitraxus Prime, and Lekmet jumping out, with the last one holding a book with a pink diamond-shaped crystal in it.

"Star's a mewman, after all!" Hekapoo stated, folding her arms as she nodded. "It'll take a lot more than falling face-first to the ground to hurt her."

Suddenly, Star freed herself from her mother's grasp and leaped straight for Hekapoo, shouting "Hekapie" as the interdimensional redhead caught her and hugged her.

"Hi, Beautyfly," Hekapoo answered as she gently brushed Star's hair.

"Has the day finally come, my Hekapie?" Star caressed Hekapoo's cheeks. "Is this the day I can finally lord over you, as boss and employer?"

"No, Star, Hekapoo remains under _my_ control," Meteora sternly stated, narrowing her eyes as she hissed, "Now stop being all cuddly before I separate you myself."

"We remain star-crossed lovers, my dear Hekapoo," Star pulled the horned redhead closer towards her. "But one day, you will be mine!"

Hekapoo moaned and fainted into a portal, which bounced her back into Omnitraxus' arms. Then, as Star walked to the next member of the commission, Hekapoo blew a kiss at Star, which she catched with delight. The next member was Rhombulus, who tilted his crystal head as Star gave a quick look at the creature.

"Still looking great as always, Rhombulus! Are you gonna be my servant?" Star leaned closer and whispered to Rhombulus' non-existent ear, "'Cause if you are, you'll get to go shirtless for as long as you want!"

Rhombulus chirped up. "Really?!"

Moon coughed, and after looking at the woman's disapproving look, the crystal-headed gut somberly answered, "Sorry, Star, I'm still under servitude of your mother, Queen Moon."

Star turned to Omnitraxus, who stated, "I know what you'll ask, Star, but I'm afraid I, too, remain under control of Eclipsa, my queen."

Eclipsa put her hands on her cheeks and blushed as she said, "What can I say? I like my men big."

"And Lekmet will remain on his own, like usual?" Star asked, with Lekmet nodding in agreement. "So I'll only train with the past queens like always? I don't even get the consolation prize of lording over one of the Magic High Commission?!"

"Oh Star, don't feel upset about the fact you won't have your own personal servant," Eclipsa walked to Star and put her hands on her shoulders, putting up a motherly smile as she explained, "Don't see this as us saying we don't trust you to boss them well, see this as us telling you, right to your face, that you're simply not trustworthy enough to command one of the people in charge of all magic in the universe, and that it would be safer if you remained just friends with all of them."

Star frowned. "I'll never understand how whenever you're not lying through your teeth, you're being honest in the most blunt, painful way possible."

"It's a bad habit that's been passed down the Butterfly bloodline for generations," Meteora explained, rolling her eyes. "Admittedly, We've been trying to deal with it, with little success."

"Anyway, the Magic High Commission's here because they have a topic they want to discuss with us," Moon added, folding her arms behind her back. "So, while we talk with them about whatever topic they need to discuss, we need you to go up to the room of the past queens, and continue with your queen training."

Star turned to look at a door with a tiara image in front, and then she turned back to her fellow queens and asked, with a nervous smile, "With which past queen am I supposed to train with today, again?"

Moon rolled her eyes. "Well, you trained with Solaria yesterday, which I can tell by the amount of carved wooden monster manniquins laying in the training room when we sent the guards to clean it."

Star scratched the back of her head as her mother continued, "I don't want you to go anywhere near Festivia, and Skywynne's most likely stuck reading a dozen or so books at the library... maybe you could go train with Solena?"

"I'm afraid she's usually out at this hour, either trying to impress her current love interest, or falling in love all over again," Eclipsa pointed out, putting a hand on her cheek as she shook her head. "She was known as "The Smitten" for a reason, after all. How about Soupina?"

"She's a weirdo, even by Butterfly standards," Meteora folded her arms and shook her head. "Whatever lesson she could give Star, she probably won't give it to her in a manner that she understands."

"How about I go train with Crescenta, then?" Star suggested, getting the queens' attention. "She's not usually doing anything at this hour, is moderately weird as a Butterfly, and is known as "The Eager!" I'm sure she could spend a couple minutes teaching me a thing or two! In fact, why am I even discussing this? I'll go look for her right now!"

Star ran off to the rooms of the Queens, with the rest of the council and commission watching her run off until she was out of sight.

"Is it just me, or did Star seem a bit more... tired, than usual?" Omnitraxus inquired, getting Moon's attention. "I mean, she usually has a little bit of energy with her, but she looked really drained just now."

"She woke up very early today and didn't get enough sleep," Moon sighed. "Neither did I, mind you, but Star seems to have woken up even earlier."

Lekmet bleated, and Rhombulus translated, "Was there any particular reason for her being awake so early?"

Moon clasped her hands. "She just woke up, and was unable to go back to sleep, no matter how hard she tried."

The woman turned to see the hallway Star ran into, and said:

"I hope this doesn't mean what I think it means."

 ** _Hallway of the Past Queens..._**

Star ran past a wall marked with a lighting bolt. "That's Solaria's room."

Then ran past a similar wall, only marked with an hourglass. "Skywynne..."

And then she stopped right in front of a wall with a curved diamond. Unlike the other walls, this one was glowing, with some intense music somehow playing behind it.

"Festivia, the queen with no shame," Star shook her head before sniffing the wall, causing her to recoil and back away. "Eugh, I can smell her drunken breath from here!"

Unable to stand the smell, Star continued her run across the walls, looking for Crescenta's wall. And though it took her a while, she eventually reached a wall with a crescent moon symbol, which meant the wall belonged to Crescenta.

"Aha, I found you, Crescenta!" Star exclaimed as she walked to the wall. "Now-"

However, the girl suddenly felt somebody, or something, calling her, and she turned around to see the wall to the opposite of Crescenta's.

The wall had a star symbol, which was inside a circle. Not only that, but there was something written on an open tome, sitting on top of a pillar close to the wall. Now, the other walls also had stuff written in tomes as well, but Star never really bothered to read them. They didn't tickle her fancy in a way

But this tome was different, so she walked to it and read to herself:

" _The one whose life was most tragic, wound up having the strongest magic. She who prevented disasters foreseen, became known as the eternal high queen. Who guided all future queens, through their onset, and with her bare hands, vaniquished the monster threat._ "

Star briefly paused, trying to process how the last part rhymed, before finishing:

" _And so began, the current dynasty. Ruled by Celena, her shyful majesty._ "

Star realized something in that moment: "This is... Celena's wall..."

The queen of hearts looked at the wall with temptation, before she shook it off and walked back to the crescent wall.

Star glanced at the circled star wall one more time before she walked into Crescenta's wall, the star in the circle glowing pink afterwards.


	2. Introduction

**Okay, I'm turning this one-shot into a full story... one week before I leave for Peru. Brilliant move on my part, I know XD**

 **But, honestly, I did want to post at least one more chapter of this AU before I left, because it's starting to take a big place in my heart, right below Chains of Reality of course. So far I have 3 and a half chapters done, though, so don't expect weekly updates anytime soon.**

 **Also, thank you guys so much for all the feedback! 10 favs, and 13 follows! That's fairly impressive, considering I only had one chapter out back then. I wonder how much more exposure this'll receive... and how long it'll be before the fandom gets a problem with it XD**

 **Anyway, to the reviews:**

 **1) LoudAutomata16: I'm glad you like the pilot, now let's see how "episode 1" goes along XD.**

 **2) animehero1000: I didn't even notice until you pointed it out, sorry. I'll be more wary of that in the future.**

 **3) or-Ian-do626: Marco can make awesome nachos.**

 **4) socram1: Okay?**

 **5) Nobody245: Do whatever you feel comfortable doing, questions, suggestions, as long as you're fine with it, go ahead.**

 **6) Guest: The Diaz are more like museum guards for their own little museum of magical artifacts. As for the Butterflies... well, keep reading. And Marco and Star's relationship will be a bit... different.**

 **7) avidreaded: It shall continue now!**

 **And now, to the chapter!**

* * *

Back where we left off, classes just started at the Echo Creek Academy, with Marco's classmates quickly arriving and sitting on their seats, with Janna, Jackie, and Brittney being the last to arrive.

"Early as usual, huh, Marco?" Jackie inquired as she sat on the desk next to him. "How long did you wait?"

"Not too long, Jackie, don't worry about it," Marco put a hand on his cheek. "So, did you like the sandwiches?"

"I always find it weird how, despite having some degree of weirdness in ourselves, you choose to focus on the normal stuff," Janna remarked, folding her arms as she explained. "I mean, Jackie can control water and ice, I own a book with a pair of manservants inside, and Brittney can turn into a giant-"

Brittney threw an angry look at Janna. "Creature whose name is offensive. And yet, you don't ever pay attention to that stuff, Marco, why's that the case?"

The guy remained silent for a moment, then tilted his head and said, "I'm still waiting for your answer, Janna."

Janna took a deep breath and sternly answered, "The sandwiches your Mom made were very delicious."

And then she turned to look at her grimoire with an annoyed look. "In fact, they were apparently so delicious, that a certain someone tried to steal _my_ sandwich after devouring his own!"

"Hey, it's not my fault, they were just that good!" Ferguson shouted from within the book. "Besides, we're all still in development!"

Janna gripped the book harder. "Well, I'm in a much more desperate need of development than you!"

And as the beanie girl started to argue with the book, Marco turned to Jackie and asked, "What about you, Jackie?"

"The sandwich was delicious, thanks a lot, Marco," Jackie grabbed and looked at her seashell pendant. "And, before you ask me about it, my hydrokinesis training also went well. I'm starting to get the hang of this thing's powers fairly quickly."

"That's always good to know," Marco smiled and turned to look at Brittney, who was looking through the window. "And you, Brittney?"

However, the girl didn't respond right away. Instead, she just smiled as she continued to look through the window, watching the rather pretty scenery on the horizon. And she wasn't the only one who enjoyed the sight.

" _The trees... the flowers... the atmosphere... this world's beautiful,_ " the voice spoke to Brittney, whose smile remained frozen as the voice continued, " _It reminds me of my world, long before it was ruined._ "

"Are you sure you don't come from the future?" Brittney sarcastically inquired, rolling her eyes at her statement. "The way you're talking makes it sound like that's the case."

" _No... my world isn't the future of your world... my world and your world are two planes of existence,_ " the voice paused, almost as if she was thinking about something. " _But, if I had to choose... I would pick your world, over mine, any time._ "

"Hehe, sounds like someone's feeling a bit insecure about their homeland, or homeworld, or homewhatever they come from," Brittney chuckled, taking a deep breath before she added, with a reassuring tone. "Come on, have a bit more confidence! I'm sure that your world is, at least potentially, just as nice as the Earth."

" _No... it isn't... it can never be as good as this... not anymore..._ " the voice spoke, with Brittney frowning as it continued. " _A long time ago, people ruined it... they ruled my world without a care for it's citizens... I did everything in my power to usurp them... I succeeded... and yet... the world just went back to the same state it was before my rule... in fact... it might even be worse-_ "

"Hey, Earth to Brittney!"

Brittney flinched, causing her eye-covering lock of hair to briefly turn pink before she regained her composure, turning it black once more. She then turned around and saw Janna, Jackie, and Marco looking at her with worry.

"Uh, hi guys," Brittney said, scratching her head as she shrugged, "Sorry, I was busy talking with the voice in my head."

"Okay then, but one more question," Janna squinted her eyes. "Have you started seeing flying magical decapitated horse heads as well?"

The cheerleader looked to her left and right before answering with a confused, "No?"

"Great, you're still only somewhat nuts," Janna sighed in relief.

"I asked you if you liked the sandwich," Marco interjected.

"Uh, yeah, I did," Brittney smiled. "Thanks a lot, Diaz."

Marco gave Brittney a thumbs up, and then the door was loudly opened, causing all the students to stiff up and pay attention to the incoming teacher. This was none other than Mrs. Skullnick, whose mere steps made the room shake, and the desks slightly jump, with the teenagers sitting on them following suit.

"Hey, is it me, or did Mrs. Skullnick get a bit fatter since last time?!" Janna exclaimed, slight panic in her tone.

"Actually, I think she got thinner!" Jackie yelled, with the same slightly panicked tone.

Eventually, Mrs. Skullnick finally reached her desk and sat down, stopping the discount earthquakes already. The students took a sigh of relief, though some of them took several more just to be sure, and Skullnick took a deep breath before she spoke, "Good morning, class."

"G-Good morning, Mrs. Skullnick!" everybody else answered, trying their best to hide their fear.

"As you all know, there will be a "Monster Attack Orientation" class after the normal classes are done with, like every week," Skullnick rolled her eyes. "However, rather than begin with our class right away, I was actually requested by your "MAO" teacher to give her a couple minutes to run a preliminary check-up on all of you, just to make sure who should go and who should sit out this class."

Skullnick turned to face some of the students in the back, who either had bite marks, or injured limbs. "Specially since some of you did worse than others last time."

The students looked elsewhere and whistled, trying to get attention to divert from them. Luckily, what happened next did the job for them: A certain purple-headed girl barged into the room, and did a backflip before she leaped up high in the air, almost hitting the ceiling in the process, then spun around before landing perfectly on her feet, before posing as most of the students clapped at her, except for Marco's quartet.

And that was mostly because they knew who the girl was: Mina Loveberry, the teacher of the "Monster Attack Orientation" deal Skullnick mentioned just a moment ago. However, this time, the quartet managed to find a particular detail about her that was new: A huge lock of hair was covering her right eye, in a similar manner to Brittney.

Not that they paid much attention to it, they just acknowledged it.

"Great, Mina's here," Brittney reached for her back and took out a pair of sound-cancelling headphones. "I sure hope these ones really do work, because I don't want to hear her blabbering anywhere other than her class."

Moments before Mina spoke, Brittney put on the headphones, and she took a deep breath as she enjoyed the peace and quiet of the absolute silence. Too bad nobody else had the same pair of headphones available.

"Greetings, students, I'm glad to meet you here today!" Mina cheerfully greeted, clasping her hands and lifting a leg as she added, "As Mrs. Skullnick probably already told you, I'm gonna quickly check up your names to determine who'll get to participate in my class again, and who can sit out of it this time."

Mina looked elsewhere and smiled mockingly as she whispered to herself, "Because if you can't even defend yourself against a simple monster, you might as well leave it to the people who're not big wastes of existence."

Mina snatched the list of names from Skullnick, and read it with excitement, "So, let's begin... Jackie Lynn Thomas?"

Jackie raised her arm and yelled "present!" keeping a smile as Mina paused and turned to look at her with an "you sneaky little you" look.

"You were fairly promising last exercise, but I don't appreciate the fact that you almost wound up impaling some of your fellow classmates with your icicles," Mina took out a pen from her back and marked Jackie's name. "You can sit today's exercise out. Now, the next one, Janna Ordonia?"

Janna lazily raised her arm and rolled her eyes as Mina stated, "You're in. And also, you'll be participating in every future "MAO" exercise as punishment for skipping it last week."

"Geez, isn't that a bit harsh, Professor Mina?" Jackie asked.

"Geez, Thomas, did I ask for your opinion?" Mina retorted, hastily adding before Jackie could even respond, "The answer is no, now shut up before you anger me any further!"

Mina turned back to the list. "Brittney Wong?"

Mina waited for a couple seconds for a response... and immediately narrowed her eyes after she got none, making sure to retain her smile frozen in place. She turned around and noticed Brittney was looking out the window, still wearing the sound-cancelling headphones. Mina promptly walked towards the cheerleader, barely making a sound as she got closer and closer.

Eventually, she gently took off the headphones, so gently Brittney didn't even notice, then leaned closer to her ear and whispered, "Brittney Wong."

This caused Brittney to freak out as the girl flinched and moved, causing her desk to almost fall over to the side, before Mina picked it with a hand, resulting in Brittney falling and hitting her head. Soon afterwards, Mina extended a hand towards Brittney, who rubbed her head with one hand as she accepted Mina's offer with her remaining hand.

As soon as Brittney got up, however, Mina sternly stated, while keeping her smile intact, "I don't appreciate you ignoring me, so you're also going to participate in today's exercise."

Brittney flinched, but knowing better than to potentially anger Mina any further, she just closed her mouth and nodded in agreement before sitting down. Once that was done, Mina walked back to her previous spot and took a look at the name list... only to squint her eyes as she remained silent for an abnormally long time.

"Professor Mina, is something the matter?" Marco asked, getting Mina's attention. "I'm the next one on the list."

"I can see that, but... what was your name again?" Mina asked, before narrowing her eyes as she added in a slightly threatening tone, "Sweetie?"

Oblivious to the tone, Marco just answered, "Marco Diaz."

"Are you sure?" Mina took a quick glance at the list of names. "'Cause it says here your name's _Ubaldo_ Diaz."

Marco blushed as everybody contained their laughter, even Janna, while Jackie and Brittney just shrugged, with Jackie adding a nervous smile on top of it.

"N-No, there has to be a mistake!" Marco stood up, blushing like crazy as he grabbed his hair. "I-I never once wrote my second name rather than my first name, ever!"

"Oh, is that so, sweetie?" Mina asked, with a suspiciously... condescending, yet sympathetic, tone. "Well then, how about you come to my office after your class, and we can discuss what happened to your name?"

Marco gave Mina the pointer finger. "Yes! Definitely!"

Mina smirked and chuckled to herself, before she continued to run the list as Marco sat back down and rubbed his forehead. This earned him worried looks from Brittney, Janna, and Jackie.

 ** _Sometime later, at Mina's office..._**

Mina looked through the window in front of her, arms folded behind her back as she watched the students preparing the "MAO" exercise for the day. She smiled a little bit, feeling a little pride that the teenagers seemingly weren't complaining about it for once, though her enjoyment of the scene was cut short when Marco immediately barged into the room.

"Greetings, Marco, I was expecting you," Mina turned around as Marco walked towards Mina's desk and sat down, catching his breath as he did. "Please take a seat, and take a breather, you seem to need it."

"Uh, thanks, Mina," Marco said as Mina handed him the list of names. "I'm sorry if I seem to be a bit too... desperate, about this whole "wrong name" thing to you, but I seriously just want to make sure I didn't somehow wrote my second name instead. It brought me a lot of ridicule in kindergarten, and I don't want to suffer that ever again."

"Yeah, I know how you feel with that sentiment," Mina sighed as she walked to the door, clenching a fist. "After all, it only takes one insignificant mistake to make the world go against you."

Mina raised her fist and looked at it as she added, "A world that, just to add insult to injury, will never let you forget about it either."

Then, she smiled, "And so, I won't give you any hard time or mockery for it."

Gaining a little smile at the understanding statement, Marco promptly looked at the list of names... and found out something peculiar about it:

"Wait a minute, it says here my name's Marco-"

Suddenly, Mina slammed the door shut, and closed the curtains, before walking back to Marco, her arms folded behind her back as the boy remained silent, her stern glare solely focused on Marco as she sat down just as he finished, "Diaz."

"Marco, Ubaldo, Diaz," Mina leaned her chair against the wall. "Child of Angie and Rafael Diaz, owners of one of the biggest collections of magical artifacts in Echo Creek, and previous students of the Echo Creek Academy as well. They're not the only ones, though, but they still have enough presence to make them a big deal. And going by that, I bet you still have a healthy, yet fragile ego, don't you?"

"Well, I do like to think that having a healthy ego isn't such a bad thing," Marco scratched the back of his head. "Besides, I always make sure to not let said ego get too big. Which isn't quite hard when whenever I make myself look cool, every other time, or even moments afterwards, I make myself look like a total dork."

"I guess you have a point: I can only imagine how it feels to be cool one minute, and a dork the very next, mostly because I'm always cool no matter the circumstances, or context," Mina chuckled a bit. "Cool attitude, cool composure, cool... coolness, you say it, I'm possibly cool in it."

Mina stopped leaning her chair and put a stern tone as she added, "But we're not here to talk about me."

Mina leaned closer and put her elbows on the desk as she narrowed her eyes, with Marco leaning back a bit as she hissed, "We're here to talk about you, Marco Diaz."

In that very moment, Marco put the pieces together. "My name was never wrong... you just said that, so I would panic about it, and you'd convince me to come to your office, just to speak to me in private, didn't you?"

"You're a smart cookie, I bet that's one of the many qualities people like about you," Mina pinched Marco's cheeks as she added, "Yes, I did trick you into coming here: I'm not even going to try deny it. But I did it for a reason."

Marco raised an eyebrow as Mina released his cheeks, and frowned.

"Diaz, right now, we're in a safe zone: A place of secrets. You can tell me anything you want, you can talk to me about anything that's bothering you, and whatever we say to each other, it will remain just between us," Mina narrowed her eyes. "And I have the feeling you may know just what I need to know."

"Well, I have no idea what you want, sorry," Marco folded his arms. "In fact, all I really know's that I'm not voting for you on the "Teacher of the Year" elections."

"Listen, Diaz: The point is, I know you're hiding something deep inside your family museum, and I also know one of your friends has to be hiding something as well, something you know and are keeping to yourself," Mina stated, narrowing her eyes as she leaned back a little. "And I'm going to find out what's being hidden no matter what."

Mina stood up and took a deep breath. "But, before I leave, I'll give you one little suggestion, and if you value your life, you should follow it: Make sure you keep an eye on your so-called "Friends," specially that Brittney Wong. Because trust me, Diaz: There's nothing worse than putting a lot of faith on one person, only for them to betray when you least expect it."

The purple-haired instructor left the room, but not before giving Marco the "I'm watching you" gesture. And as soon as Mina left, Marco took a deep breath and left the room, before suddenly being reunited with Alfonzo and Ferguson, who flew towards him as Janna entered the room soon afterwards.

"How did the meeting with Professor Mina go?" Alfonzo asked with worry. "Did she try to trick you?!"

"Did she try to get in your mind?!" Ferguson added.

"Did she try to bargain with you to give her some sort of magical artifact in exchange for something you wanted?" Janna inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing like that, she spoke to me about how she thought I was hiding something, how she thought you and the others were hiding something, stuff like that," Marco shrugged, then put his hands on his pockets. "I didn't tell her anything until she left, and then she told me she'd keep an eye on me, and that I should keep an eye on Brittney too."

"Classic Professor Mina, trying to get people to join in her paranoid ideas," Janna said as she walked into the room, then leaned against the wall next to the door. "Anyway, the preparations for the MAO exercise are finished and everybody else has gathered there, did Mina tell you if you had to come or not?"

Marco's eyes widened, and he looked elsewhere as he scratched his chin. "She didn't, actually. In fact, the whole idea seemingly left her mind as soon as we started talking. Although, it might be for the best that I go anyway."

"Yeah, that's the best option," Janna smiled as Marco left the room. "I mean, everybody knows angering Mina is one of the worse things you could do. If she gets angry enough, our next stop will be at the morgue."

"But you like to go to the morgue," Marco pointed out as Janna joined him.

Janna rolled her eyes. "Yeah, as a visitor, not as a corpse!"

The duo chuckled and Marco wrapped his arm around Janna's shoulder, with Alfonzo and Ferguson looking at them with curious looks before they returned to their book, which Janna promptly closed.

 ** _Meanwhile, back with the Council of Queens and the Magic High Commission..._**

Eclipsa, Meteora, and Moon and the Magic High Commission walked to the meeting room, where the queens sat on their side of a table with throne-shaped chairs, and the commission sat on regular chairs, at the opposite side of them. Star's seat remained empty, though, and while this did catch the queens' attention, they quickly composed themselves and focused on the topic at hand.

"So, Magic High Commission," Moon started, trying to pay no mind to Star's absence. "What's the matter you wanted to discuss?"

"I sure hope it's not something petty like who gets the last bar of chocolate," Meteora rolled her eyes. "Or, you know, trying to convince us to allow Rhombulus to go shirtless."

Rhombulus stood up and flexed his muscles. "There's no need to be ashamed of my diamond nipples!"

"Rhombulus, sit down," Moon ordered, narrowing her eyes. "We're not going through this again."

Dejected, Rhombulus obliged and said, "Yes, my queen."

"What we wanted to talk about is related to..." Omnitraxus paused, and exchanged looks with the remaining members before he finished, "The Aces."

The queens gasped in shock.

"W-Well, which ace are we talking about?" Moon asked, maintaining a worried smile. "The Ace of Diamonds?"

"The Ace of Spades?" Eclipsa asked with slight worried.

Meteora put her hands on her cheeks and exclaimed, "The Ace of Clubs?!"

"The Ace of Hearts, actually," Omnitraxus answered, explaining as the queens took a sigh of relief. "What we need to discuss is whether the ace has been chosen yet. Because although the identities of the other aces are still a mystery to us, we do know that they have been chosen, except for the ace of hearts."

"For rather obvious reasons," Hekapoo muttered under her breath.

Unfortunately, she muttered a little too loud, since Meteora promptly turned to the interdimensional redhead and growled, "Is there something you want to add, Hekapoo?"

"Yeah, the fact that we all know the only reason there's not an ace of hearts yet, is because Moon's simply too stubborn to get somebody else other than Star!" Hekapoo slammed her arms at the table. "Despite the fact that the piece resonates with her so much, it keeps her up at night! The fragment wants to become one with whoever it chooses, and only then can we really make any progress in finding the other aces!"

"Listen, Hekapoo-"

"What? Are you going to tell me what you always say?" Hekapoo styled her hair closer to that of Moon, and spoke in an uptight tone mocking Moon's own voice. "My sweet little Star is too young to have such a fate inflicted upon her! She's too young still! She doesn't deserve to become part of something greater like this!"

Omnitraxus, Rhombulus, and even Eclipsa slightly chuckled at the mockery of Moon, while Meteora, Lekmet, and Moon herself reacted with annoyance. "That's-"

"Even if it's for the greater good of Mewni, I just refuse to accept the fact Star's the chosen one to be the ace of hearts! We have to continue looking for another potential ace of hearts, even if our all our tries so far have ended in failure!" Hekapoo returned to normal and folded her arms. "There, that's what you were going to tell me, right?"

Moon narrowed her eyes. "That's not what I said."

Eclipsa shrugged. "That's kind of what you said."

Meteora shook her head. "That's practically what you said."

"Look, I know it's easy to blame my overprotectiveness of Star for the reason she's not the ace yet, but you have to remember there really is a legitimate reason to find another candidate for the position," Moon said. "Even if she's mostly training to find her title, Star's still a member of the queen council, the very group that keeps Mewni stable and safe. If she becomes the ace of hearts, that will simply add another bunch of stuff for her to worry about. It's already hard trying to be a member of this council, trying to balance that with the position of ace of hearts is going to break her!"

"Then find a replacement for her!" Hekapoo argued. "Surely there has to be some queen that can take her place while she works as the ace of hearts, right?"

Eclipsa, Meteora, and Moon all flinched and exchanged worried looks, before they quickly regained their composure and Moon bluntly stated, "No, that's not an option. None of the royals or nobles available can replace Star."

"That's it, I'm done." Hekapoo got off her chair and walked away. "Rhombulus, Omnitraxus, Lekmet, have fun trying to get through these ladies' thick skulls, I'm gonna go look for Beautyfly."

"Hekapoo, get back here this instant!" Meteora snapped.

But the fiery redhead didn't listen, she walked through the door and stomped her way out of the room, with Meteora following after her as soon as she got the approval of Eclipsa and Moon. She ran for a little while before she had to stop to take a break in a hallway, where the shining moonlight of the night sky illuminated the floor in a circled star pattern. Luckily for Meteora, Hekapoo stood still right at the other end of the hallway.

"Hekapoo... you need to... explain yourself!" Meteora yelled in the middle of her catching her breath.

The redhead remained silent, then clutched her fist as she said, "What's the point?"

Once she fully caught her breath, Meteora looked up and raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"What's the point of explaining myself to you?" Hekapoo turned to Meteora, revealing her furious glare. "You won't listen to me. You never listen to me!"

"That's not true!" Meteora snapped in response. "I do listen to you from time to time-"

"But only when it concerns something you want! Whenever it's something that I need, or that conflicts with your own goals, you turn your head and refuse to hear me out!" Hekapoo stomped the ground. "This is the attitude you and the rest of the council... except Star, take whenever we try to talk to you! What's the point of even discussing certain matters when you rarely hear us out?!"

"Because we're giving you a piece of your own medicine: You acted just the same when you and the rest of the commission worked before Celena changed everything! We mewmans tried to talk with you, and none of you listened!" Meteora snapped, stomping the ground as well. "And now, as servants to the queen council, it's your turn to feel what it's like to be on the receiving end of such treatment! And don't even try to sass me telling me you can just quit, because whether you like it or not, you and the rest of the commission work for us, forever!"

Hekapoo flinched and shivered for a moment before her eyes diluted. And as a tear started forming on her visible eye, Hekapoo gritted her teeth and narrowed her eyes as she tried to keep herself from breaking apart. Whether it was because of Meteora bringing up such a sensitive topic, or blindingly proving Hekapoo's point without even realizing, it was clear the redhead was getting close to her rage-breaking point.

"Going by that logic, I work for Star as well," Hekapoo argued. "And you know damn well that I'd rather stay with Star than you!"

Hekapoo got ready to run off, prompting Meteora to growl, "Hekapoo, this is your last chance: Go back to the meeting room and apologize for your behavior, or I'm gonna get angry!"

The redhead paused, turned to Meteora, then flipped her the bird from both her hands and blew a raspberry at her, running away soon afterward. Too blinded by rage to think of anything, Meteora repeated what Hekapoo did, rapsberry and all... just in time for Moon and Eclipsa to arrive at the scene. And as soon as their presence was known, Meteora slowly stopped what she was doing and turned around to see her mother and Moon's surprised looks.

"Hekapoo started it!" Meteora shouted, trying to explain herself.

Moon took a deep breath and rubbed her forehead as Eclipsa walked to her daughters' side and patted her back. "Don't worry about her for now, let's just go back to the meeting room and finish talking about the whole "Ace of Hearts" deal."

Meteora turned back to the spot Hekapoo ran through. "But Hekapoo-"

"She needs some time alone, darling. And if she decides to return after some time has passed, then good for her," Eclipsa grabbed her daughter's hand. "But both she and us need to take care of something first, and trying to get her to come back won't help anybody. So, let's just go back and focus on finishing the meeting while Hekapoo goes to see Star."

Taking one last glance at the place Hekapoo ran off to, Meteora turned back to her mother and nodded with an understanding smile. However, as the trio walked back to the meeting room, Meteora turned her gaze back where Hekapoo ran off to, and remained like that until they returned to the room and closed the door.

 _Meanwhile, with Hekapoo..._

The interdimensional redhead ran across the hallway of the past queens, focusing solely on finding the crescent moon room since she remembered Star went looking for Crescenta's wall-room. She ran through the various walls, until she reached the crossroad that had two choices: Crescenta's wall... or Celena's wall.

And getting a bad vibe from Celena's room just from knowing it was nearby, Hekapoo entered Crescenta's wall without a second thought. However, rather than landing in a room, like every other wall would lead to, Hekapoo found herself falling down a rainbow slide, until she landed on the ground of what looked like some sort of monastery, with the images of women, possibly past queens, on both the ceiling, walls, and windows.

"I completely forgot, Crescenta's wall leads straight into the monastery of the past," Hekapoo said as she got up. "Luckily, assuming Star didn't take off a long time, she should still be fairly close nearby."

And then, Hekapoo heard something in the distance:

"Hold on a second, if you're here, then who's partying in your wall-room-dimension...place?"

That was Star's voice, no doubt about that. And she was talking to Festivia, at least, from the way she was talking. So, as the duo continued to talk, Hekapoo flew across the monastery hallways, flying past several depictions of past queens until she arrived at a hallway plastered in Festivia's rounded diamond cheekmarks.

"Probably Ruberiot and Fool Duke: They got married last week, and they wanted to "consumate their marriage like wild animals, King River style," so I gave them permission to party it out in my room for however long they needed! Anyway, did you need something, sweetie?"

Hekapoo flew closer to Festivia's part of the monastery, and there they were: Festivia's spirit, holding a booze bottle like usual, and Star, who immediately snatched the bottle away.

"Yes, but first off, drink this garbage later, I can't talk to you if you're not sober."

Hekapoo approached Star just as Festivia got ready to complain, with the party queen taking notice of the redhead soon afterwards.

"A non-royal intruder!" Festivia materialized a sprayer from thin air and started... well, spraying Hekapoo with it. "Go away this instant before you summon the wrath of the Butterflies, plebeian!"

"Wait, Festivia, calm down! It's okay!" Star exclaimed, with Festivia pausing and Hekapoo shaking off the water as Star said, "This is Hekapoo, a member of the Magic High Commission."

The party-loving spirit' eyes grew wider. "Oh, the Magic High Commission, you say?"

Star nodded, and Festivia promptly glanced at her sprayer and bluntly stated, "I'm gonna need something stronger, then."

Star slapped the sprayer away, "For crying out loud, Festivia, let Hekapoo stay!"

"Why?! The Magic High Commission might work for the council of queens, but they don't count as royalty themselves!" Festivia snapped, folding her arms and glaring at Hekapoo. "And as you should know by now, only fellow queens, associates of those queens, or other members of royalty are allowed in this room!"

"Listen, I'm not going to cause any trouble, okay?" Hekapoo stated, clinging to Star's arm as she added. "I just came here to provide some support for Star, and take a break from listening to Moon, Eclipsa, and Meteora try to evade the issue of the ace of hearts, like they always do."

Festivia's stern glare remained as Star added, "Back to the point: Is Crescenta here today? I need to train with her."

"Crescenta? Her spirit's not here," Festivia took a look around the desolate room. "In fact, none of the spirits besides me are here either, they said they had to do something at "The High Queen"'s room. Their data tombs are active, though, so I guess you could use that in the meantime?"

"The rest of the queens' spirits are in Celena's room?" Star asked, only to quickly realize something, "Wait a minute, if the spirits of the past queens need to do something at "The High Queen"'s room, why are you still here?"

"They told me to remain here and not go to that room if possible, almost as if they didn't want me to go there for whatever reason," Festivia shrugged and grabbed Star's hand. "But, that's not something you should focus on right now. Let's go to Crescenta's data tomb."

Hekapoo and Star held hands and followed the spirit towards a glowing door with Crescenta's symbol on it, only for Festivia to stop them and glare at Hekapoo once more. "Only queens or royals related to the Butterflies past this point, please."

The pair walked to a large monitor screen, and Hekapoo released Star and leaned against the wall next to the screen as Star spoke, "I'm sorry that I'm leaving you here again, Hekapie, but you know how... stubborn, the spirits of the past queens can be. Just stay here and watch, alright?"

Hekapoo suddenly hugged Star, and tried to tighten the hug as hard as she could so as to not release Star.

The queen in training, rather than getting angry at the interdimensional redhead, simply took a deep breath and brushed her hair in a gentle manner as she said, "Listen, Hekapoo, once I'm finished training with Crescenta's data spirit, you can tell me whatever's bothering you. I'll listen to you for as long as necessary."

Hekapoo looked up at Star with a "do you mean it?" look, and Star just silently nodded with a reassuring smile. The redhead promptly released Star, who kissed her forehead before she walked through the glowing door, with Festivia acting as a bouncer afterwards, with her glare still fixated on Hekapoo.

A couple seconds later, the monitor close to Hekapoo turned on, and the redhead turned to see Star on the other side of the room: She was currently on top of some massive platform, with an image of Crescenta serving as the flooring.

With nothing else to do but watch the video, Hekapoo took a deep breath, and put a hand on her cheek as she stated, "Good luck, Star."


	3. Into the Rabbit Hole

**Still getting some decent feedback, I see. I honestly was expecting people to reject or trash this AU, maybe because it's too different from the norm, maybe because not enough things are explained every one or two seconds, or maybe even because I implied JannaXMarco is a thing.**

 **But, I'm glad to see that the hatred hasn't appeared... yet.**

 **Also, low key, this COULD be the last chapter I post in a while. Just a thought, but one worth considering.**

 **Now, to the reviews!**

 **1) FairyLighting: All in due time, dear reader.**

 **2) Socram1: You read this and the last one, I'm fairly sure you can read this one too XD.**

 **3) LoudAutomata16: Well, what if I told you that those two will meet soon enough?**

 **4) Nobody245:**

 *** Considering how the vast majority of the series happened after Star was put on Earth as a foreign exchange student, and such an event doesn't happen here for obvious reasons, let's just say that the entirety of the canon show doesn't happen. What does happen, however, is mostly relegated to backstory and lore: Mewman and monster discrimination, Meteora's half-monster issues, and so on.**

 *** Let's see, Mewni's more like an empire, though it still remains medieval in a sense, Earth has monsters and magical artifacts (It doesn't have magic on it's own), mewmans, monsters, and humans have a certain relationship with magic, the magic high commission are a BIT more involved behind closed doors, that kind of stuff.**

 *** Well, if I may ask so myself, how can I explore this relationship you think Mewni and Earth have? I'm not very familiar with what you're implying here XD**

 **5) animehero1000:**

 *** You forgot certain characters, but they're spoiler characters, so that's A-Okay!**

 *** Paranoia and insanity are two differents thing, my man.**

 *** "Mewni Hearts"... that sounds neat.**

 **6) avidreaded: Like I said in Nobody245's response, technically the entirety of the series doesn't actually happen, but I did see how powerful Eclipsa was. And as much as I hate to say it, just because she was powerful in the show, doesn't mean she'll be just as powerful in this AU. After all, the Council of Queens are supposed to rule as equals, both in influence and power. Having one of them be stronger than the others could be... disastrous.**

 **And now, to the chapter proper!**

* * *

 _ **Echo Creek Academy, MAO Program...**_

Most of the students sat on the benches, alongside Mrs. Skullnick, watching with indifference as Mina stood in front of them. Behind Mina was the course of the MAO program, which basically consisted of a couple of arenas, each one with one monster located inside of them. And right next to her was a box, marked with

"Greetings, students of Echo Creek Academy!" Mina cheerfully exclaimed, clasping her hands and tilting her head before she added, "Those who will participate in today's exercise please stand up and walk to the box. Everybody else, stay in your seats and don't even think about moving."

Most of the students stood up, among them Marco, Janna, and Brittney, while everybody remained on their seats, like Jackie. The boy, Janna, and Brittney walked down alongside their classmates, and stood right at the end of the queu.

"Ugh, right at the end again, it'll take forever for us to get anywhere!" Janna reached for her back and pulled out her grimoire. "Good thing I have the solution to that!"

And then Mina snatched it without warning. "I'll take that, thank you very much."

"Hey, that's mine!" Janna yelled. "Give me back my grimoire, you dye-haired lunatic!"

Mina didn't even flinched at the insult, as she strictly stared at Janna as she opened the book, releasing Alfonzo and Ferguson, who immediately panicked upon seeing Mina holding the grimoire.

"Don't worry, you two, I'm not going to turn you into my man servants," Mina narrowed her eyes. "I just wanted to verify if this really was a grimoire or just a very heavy book."

Mina threw the book at Janna, who immediately catched it as the spiritual boys flew to her side as soon as they could. And then, as Mina walked towards Marco and checked him up, Janna and Brittney glared at her, while Alfonzo and Ferguson hid behind Janna.

"Diaz, why are you forming part of the waiting line?" Mina asked, narrowing her eyes as she hissed, "I never told you that you were going to participate."

Marco flinched at the statement, and took a deep breath before answering, "W-Well, you never told me I _wouldn't_ participate, so I-"

"You assumed that I wanted you to participate, despite the fact that you didn't even bother to bring some sort of magical artifact with you to help you defeat the monster?" Mina interjected sternly. "Listen, Diaz, it's one thing to assume things, which greatly angers me, but it's another thing entirely to assume those things, and try and do them completely unprepared, which further infuriates me!"

"Well, geez, is there something that doesn't anger you?" Marco rolled his eyes.

Suddenly, Mina grabbed Marco by the neck of his sweater, and all the students flinched, with Janna and Brittney looking like they were about to cast a spell and claw at Mina respectively, not to mention Jackie also reacted and got ready to interfere, but all it took was one glare from Mina, with her covered eye glowing pink to boot, to freeze them in place.

Then she turned back to Marco and hissed "Get back to the bench before I send you there myself!" before she took him out of the queu and pushed him towards the benches, with the boy barely regaining his balance before he fell towards the ground. And as soon as he managed to get his footing, the boy turned to look back at Mina, who sternly gave him the "I'm watching you" gesture before she gestured him to go to the benches already.

Getting the rather blunt message, Marco dusted himself as he returned the stern look at Mina, who watched him walk back to Jackie's side until he sat next to her. Afterwards, she maintained the angry look before she switched into a happy mood, then exclaimed:

"Okay, everybody, put your hand in the box and let's see which arena you got!"

And as everybody obliged, mostly out of fear of what would Mina do otherwise, Marco folded his arms and narrowed his eyes, which immediately caught Jackie's attention.

"I saw what happened," Jackie put a hand on Marco's shoulder. "Sorry I didn't go help you when I could-"

"Nah, it's okay, everybody knows that there's literally nobody from this planet that can move once Mina throws a glare at them," Marco grabbed Jackie's hand and sternly stared at Mina. "There's just something about her glaring that makes it feel... like you were a target of her anger. Specially if you were dumb enough to not dodge eye contact afterwards."

Mina suddenly snapped an angry look at the duo, prompting Jackie and Marco to look elsewhere in a hurry until Mina turned back to the classmates, letting the pair catch their breath afterwards. Since looking at Mina again would only make them vulnerable to the same sudden snap, Jackie and Marco focused on looking at each other.

"So, what did you and Mina talk about at her office?" Jackie asked, tilting her head in curiosity. "Was your name really written wrong?"

"...Well, truth is, she tricked me: My first name was written in the list like usual, she just made me panic about it so I would agree to go see her on her office," Marco narrowed his eyes. "Once I was there, she talked to me about how we were in a safe place, that whatever I told her would remain between us, and then, before leaving, she told me she'd keep an eye on me, and then told me to keep an eye on Brittney."

Jackie's eyes widened. "Did you tell her anything?"

"Of course not, I can't really trust Mina to keep whatever I tell her a secret, she's too much of a loose cannon," Marco looked elsewhere. "All I really got out of the experience is that she wants something, and she thinks my parents have it."

And then, Jackie got an idea. "With that in mind, do you think it's such a good idea to stay somewhere she's nearby?"

Marco raised an eyebrow, not really getting the hint of what Jackie was saying. The girl then pointed at her forehead and said, "Guess what I'm thinking!" with a slightly excited look.

Marco simply answered, with a deadpan look, "Jackie, you know I'm terrible at that game. If you want to suggest something, just tell me."

Jackie rolled her eyes, then grabbed Marco's hand before the two walked down the benches towards Mina, who stopped them as soon as they set foot on the grass.

"Hey, I'm fairly certain I told you two that you were going to stay out of today's exercise!" Mina hissed, narrowing her eyes and cracking her knuckles as she added, "Now get back to your seats before I glue you to them myself!"

"P-Professor Mina, Marco and I aren't feeling so well standing there doing nothing," Jackie tilted her head. "Would you mind if we went out to take some fresh air?"

"Sure, go out and have fun while your friends are dealing with the monsters, that's totally not unfair and likely to make your classmates resent you," Mina casually answered, briefly glancing at Jackie and Janna before she sternly added. "Just remember to come back before the end of the day. You still got classes to deal with, remember?"

"Got it! Thanks a lot, Mrs. Mina!" Jackie chirped.

As soon as Mina narrowed her eyes in annoyance, Jackie hastily said "Come on, Marco, let's get out of here." before she dragged the boy with her as far away from the school as possible, with Mina returning to watch the students soon afterwards. With that done, Jackie and Marco walked down the streets, Jackie taking a look around as Marco looked at the ground with a concerned look.

"Phew, thank goodness that's over with," Jackie turned to Marco and smiled. "How about we go to the pier? It should be open at this hour, and considering how long the MAO progress goes, we can relax for a while and still have enough time to return before our next class starts!"

However, Marco didn't respond, he simply continued to look at the ground and scratched her chin as he thought about something, which quickly caught Jackie's attention. "Marco?"

"Why would Mina allow us to leave just like that?" Marco said to himself, earning a confused look from Jackie. "She didn't even ask us where we were going, she just... allowed it... like it was nothing."

"M-Maybe she just chose to ignore it," Jackie replied, trying to get Marco's attention. "Let's just focus on spending the little time we got to relax, okay?"

"Mina might be a loose cannon, but if there's something that always remains consistent about her, is that she's strict and very determined to make everybody follow the school rules," Marco remarked, looking elsewhere as Jackie narrowed her eyes, with her seashell necklace glowing soon afterwards. "Why would she allow us to leave so calmly and... casually? She probably has something planned or-"

Jackie stood in front of Marco and stopped him right on his tracks. She then grabbed him by the neck of his hoodie and pulled him down to look at her, face-to-face.

"Marco, I didn't risk potentially getting yelled at by Professor Mina just so you could walk around and think about what plans she may have!" Jackie stated, pulling Marco closer to her as she added, "I understand that you're worried, and I understand that Mina's such a loose cannon that she may indeed have a plan up her sleeve! But she did allow us to get out to take some fresh air, so at the very least, let's take this limited time we have to calm down!"

"Um, Jackie, you're freezing the floor," Marco nervously pointed out.

The girl looked at the ground to see the ground she was standing on was covered in ice, and then she turned to look at the spot she was grabbing Marco's hoodie, which was also covered in ice. She promptly released Marco and grabbed her necklace as she took several deep breaths, with the necklace's glow stopping as the girl calmed down.

"Sorry, I completely forgot this thing's primarily powered by my emotions," Jackie folded her arms behind her back and smiled. "Anyway, what I'm trying to say is, leave thinking about Mina's secret plan for later, and instead, please focus on having fun for once."

Marco dusted the ice off his hoodie, then smiled at Jackie as he said, "Alright, Jackie, you're right. And, since you were the reason we got out of that class in the first place, how about you decide where to go to have fun?"

The teenage girl smiled widely, giving Marco an idea of where they were going.

 ** _Echo Creek Pier..._**

Jackie ran past the entrance, giggling like a young girl as Marco followed her, hands in his pocket and an amused smile on his face. The duo stopped at the square of the pier, where Jackie looked at the whole place with excitement as Marco checked the signs to see the available sites.

"Okay, let's go to the port! Wait, no, to the shore! Wait, we were both there this morning, oh, I know! Let's go to some restaurant!" Jackie chirped as she pointed at so many places around.

"Hahaha, calm down, Jackie! You're gonna scare somebody with your over excitement," Marco said as he put an arm on the girl's shoulder. "I know only the negative emotions make the necklace go whack, but still."

"Oh, sorry, I just love this place so much," Jackie sighed. "Anyway, where would you like to go?"

"Again, I'll let you pick," Marco reached for his pocket and took out his emergency money. "I got 650 dollars to spend, so go wild."

And as Marco saved his money on his pocket, Jackie felt compelled to ask, "How did you get so much money, anyway?"

Marco cracked his knuckles, "I challenged an evolved monster for the money, and defeated him with extreme prejudice!"

Jackie, however, just raised an amused eyebrow and smiled, prompting Marco to chuckle and say, "They're a combination of my life savings and some profit Mom and Dad got thanks to the magical artifacts. Mostly the life savings."

"I see..." Jackie glanced at the money, then back at Marco, before beaming a smile. "In that case..."

What came next was nothing but fun for the pair:

First, they went to some carnival games close to the port, where Marco and Jackie threw some hoop rings at some bottles for the chance to win a plush toy. Jackie started by throwing all her available rings at the bottles... and none of them landed in the bottles. Marco then threw one single hoop ring at the bottles, but it instead hit the wall and bounced right back at him, hitting him right in the face.

Shortly after that, the pair went to the rollercoaster, where Marco held Jackie by the waist as the girl raised her arms and shouted as the attraction started getting faster and faster, doing loops all around before it finally stopped. Both Marco and Jackie left the rollercoaster wobbling to the exit, looking like they would collapse at any moment, but with blatant satisfaction in their faces.

Finally, they returned to the port and posed before Marco took a selfie with his phone. A selfie that he looked at as he and Jackie left the pier.

"Oh man, that was such a blast!" Jackie exclaimed in delight.

"Yeah, it was fun while it lasted," Marco remarked, mere moments before his phone rang. And once he saw Mina was calling him, he hesitated before he answered the call, "H-Hello, Professor Mina, what's up?"

"You're not back here yet, that's what's up!" Mina yelled from the other line. "I gave you and your blonde girlfriend permission to go to wherever you are right now because I had to watch over your friends, but since most of them besides your other girlfriends are so incompetent at battling monsters, I had to end the exercise earlier before some wound up getting injured even worse, or in Sabrina's case, killed! Now finish whatever the hell you're doing and get back here!"

Marco hung up and saved his phone in his pocket. "Okay, Professor Mina called. She wants us to go back, so-"

"Hey, Marco, before we leave, there's something I'd like to ask you," Jackie twiddled her fingers. "Um... why don't you have a magical artifact of your own?"

Marco stopped right on his tracks and turned to face Jackie with a neutral look... and a frown.

"I-I'm just curious, that's all!" Jackie quickly corrected herself, believing she had offended Marco to an extent. "I-I mean, seemingly everybody in Echo Creek has a magical artifact: Janna has the grimoire, Brittney has the pendant that lets her turn into a lion or something, Miss Skullnick has a gem that lets her assume a troll form, and seeing how your parents are the owners of a bunch of magical artifacts... I was wondering why you didn't have one of those-"

"Because magic's a corrupting force."

Jackie flinched and looked back at Marco, whose look turned from neutral to a mix of serious and concerned. The boy then turned back to face the streets, and Jackie walked to his side as he explained:

"Ever since I was young, Mom and Dad told me about how magic was a supernatural force that, if not kept in a safe place, could corrupt anybody, no matter how hard they tried to resist. They also told me that's the reason why magical artifacts were created: To let us use magic, while also containing it in a safe place."

"Some artifacts are safer than others though, right?" Jackie inquired. "But, what does that have to do with you not having a magical artifact? If they can contain the magic, surely there wouldn't be an issue with you using it, right?"

Marco remained silent for a moment, almost as if he was thinking about what to say next. He turned back to Jackie, and wrapped his arm around her shoulder as he explained:

"When Mom and Dad were younger, they tried to use magical artifacts themselves. However, something happened, and the magic stored within said artifact was released. It wasn't much, but according to them, it did infect their bodies in a way that they were unable to heal, and has remained with them up to this day."

Marco grabbed Jackie's necklace and took a close look at it as he added:

"You, Janna, and Brittney, among other people, have artifacts that are a bit harder to break than usual, so you'd need to willingly try to break it to release the magic. But the point I'm trying to get at is, because of how corrupting magic can be, my parents don't allow me to have a magical artifact if it has any chance of releasing the magic within."

Marco released Jackie's necklace, and flashed a smile at her as he added, "But that doesn't mean I don't have a magical artifact."

Jackie raised an eyebrow, and Marco promptly whistled, which made a certain artifact literally fly to his side. It was a certain dragon-motorcycle hybrid, which flew down to the ground, and roared as soon as it hit the ground.

"Jackie, meet Nachos," Marco said as he sat on Nachos' driver seat, and grabbed their handles. "This is a "dragoncycle" that my parents found abandoned in the junkyard one day, working as an incinerator before they bought them. They handed ownership of Nachos to me, and I've kept them since then. And best of all, since Nachos' magic is contained within it's body, and will remain there until it somehow dies, there's very little danger of it escaping and corrupting me, as long as I drive safely."

Jackie took a closer look at the dragoncycle, and rubbed her arm. "Are you sure it's safe to drive this, Marco?"

"Of course it's safe, Jackie, I mean, would I own it if it wasn't?" Marco replied. "Come on, give them a head pat. Nachos likes to be patted."

Jackie walked closer to Nachos' "head" and gently patted it, with the dragoncycle smiling and wagging it's tail as Jackie's worried frown slowly turned into a relieved smile. She then sat on the seat behind the driver seat, and grabbed Marco's waist as he turned Nachos' on, pause, and ordered:

"To Echo Creek Academy, Nachos!"

The dragoncycle roared and promptly drove the streets for a while before taking off, and flying towards the school, with Jackie tightening her grip on Marco so she wouldn't fall off.

 ** _Meanwhile, at Crescenta's data tomb..._**

The queen of hearts leaped out of the way as several crescent-shaped blasts were shot at her direction, with Crescenta's data spirit being the one responsible from the crescent blasts. However, as fast as she shot them, Star still managed to dodge every single blast until she saw an opening, where she managed to run towards Crescenta's data spirit in a way that, when the data spirit tried to shot some crescent blasts at point-blank range, Star simply jumped through them before punching the spirit right in the face, sending it flying off the arena, where it dissipated into nothing.

However, the girl barely had time to react, since a laser was shot her way, and she leaped away from it moments before it caused the ground to explode. And as soon as she turned around, she could see that the laser came from another data spirit of Crescenta, only this one had two pairs of arms instead of one, and she had a red glow surrounding her.

The glowing data spirit shot some more lasers, which made more and more of the arena blow up, slowly but surely leaving Star with less footing to hold. However, Star simply smiled and aimed her hand up, where she shot a little ball of pink magic that transformed into a sentient cloud. Then, as the data spirit destroyed the remains of the arena, Star jumped into the cloud and sat on it. She and the cloud promptly dodged the next couple of lasers the data spirit shot, while Star charged a magic sphere behind her back.

Once she charged enough of the sphere, the cloud dodged one last laser before Star shot her own laser at the spirit, splitting it in half and causing it to explode soon afterwards, securing yet another victory.

"And that takes care of another data spirit," Star proudly stated. "Only one more phase, and I'll be done for today!"

And then, in the background right behind star, the final phase appeared.

It was yet another Crescenta data spirit, but this one was massive. Not only that, but it seemed to be in some sort of post-mewberty form: Sporting six arms, a pair of glowing eyes shaped like crescent moons, an overall pink-red color scheme, and four gargantuan wings that seemed to be detailed to look like several moons among bodies of stars.

And though faced with a goliath of an obstacle, Star just gripped the cloud and smiled in determination... while internally hoping things would go alright.

And as that happened, Hekapoo watched the confrontation between Star and Data Crescenta with a silent smile, being fairly confident that Star would win no matter what. Or at least, come a little bit closer to doing so than she did last time.

She looked so intently at it, in fact, that she completely failed to feel a certain other queen approach her. This queen was none other than Eclipsa, who slowly walked closer to Hekapoo's side, while also watching Star's fight.

"I love this show," Eclipsa blurted, catching Hekapoo off-guard. "I specially like how it changes main character every single episode. I heard that in this episode, Star-"

Hekapoo promptly covered her ears and looked elsewhere as she shouted, "I'm not listening! I'm not listening! Lalalala!"

Eclipsa laughed at Hekapoo's response and gently uncovered her ears as she said, "Don't worry, I was just messing with you."

"Oh, haha, please don't do that again," Hekapoo scratched the back of her head nervously. "Anyway, what are you doing here, Queen Eclipsa? I thought you were in the meeting with the rest of the council and Magic High Commission."

"I was, but since I could clearly see Meteora was worried about both you and Star, I decided to come here in order to check up on you, and also to show something to Star," Eclipsa brushed Hekapoo's hair. "But since to do the latter I need Star to be available, do you know if she'll finish her training with Crescenta's data spirit anytime soon?"

Star screamed as she leaped out of the glowing door, and crashed right into Hekapoo's arms. With that sight, Hekapoo bluntly said, "Yeah, she's done."

"Oh, hi Eclipsa," Star casually greeted. "How did the meeting with the Magic High Commission go?"

"It's still going on, I decided to take a break from it in order to check up on you and Hekapoo," Eclipsa said as she helped Star get up and dusted her. "And now that I see you two are fine, there's something I need to show you, Star."

"But I need to spend time with Hekapoo," Star grabbed Hekapoo and lifted her, while the snow-skinned redhead sported the most adorable look she could muster. "I mean, just look at the poor girl! You can't expect me to break my promise when she seriously needs some attention."

Apparently not being one to handle rejection well, Eclipsa narrowed her eyes and stated, with a stern tone, "What I need to show you, needs to be shown now, or else Meteora and Moon will do everything in their power to keep it a secret from you until it's too late. You either come with me and find out about this important information now..."

Eclipsa smiled and narrowed her eyes before adding, "Or you'll remain ignorant, just how Moon and Meteora want you to be!"

Star flinched and took a step back, with her and Hekapoo exchanging worried looks as Eclipsa folded her arms, her stern look and smile remaining as Star eventually sighed, released Hekapoo, and walked to Eclipsa, who wrapped her arm around Star's shoulder as Hekapoo frowned and folded her arms.

"Sorry, Hekapoo, but I need to show "you-know-what" to Star right now," Eclipsa used her free hand to point at Star's saddened look. "I mean, just look at her! You can't expect me to not want to help this girl get some of the recognition she deserves! Specially considering how you seem to be the only one to give her any sort of recognition."

Hekapoo narrowed her eyes and stood in place as Eclipsa and Star left the monastery, followed by Hekapoo raising her arm, morphing it to turn into metal, and then literally swing open a portal to her dimension, where she jumped to it before she swung her metal arm again, closing the portal.

 ** _With Eclipsa and Star..._**

The duo jumped out of Crescenta's wall and dusted themselves as Star stated, "So, where is this "important" stuff you need to show me?"

Eclipsa smirked and pointed at Crescenta's wall.

"We're going into Celena's room?!" Star said, earning a nod from Eclipsa. "Is Mom okay with this?"

"Who cares about Moon's opinion, Star?" Eclipsa swayed her hair to the left. "You have the child of Celena herself giving you permission to go visit her!"

Star smiled, almost as if she was about to laugh. "Celena's your mother?!"

"Well, in a way: She was my mother figure for most of my life, specially once my real mother died," Eclipsa grabbed Star's arm and brought her with her to the wall as she added, "In fact, Celena was like a mother figure to all the queens that were ever part of the council of queens until you arrived. Even Meteora and Moon had her as a maternal figure!"

With that said, Eclipsa and Star leaped through Celena's wall, and landed on her room, where they found most of the other queens' spirits, like Solena's, Skywynne's, Comet's, and so on, laying on their knees and clasping their hands in front of a picture of Celena, which was surrounded by several lit candles. Luckily, though, they finished soon after the duo arrived, and as soon as they turned to leave, they immediately spotted Eclipsa and Star and cheerfully surrounded them.

"Um, what's going on?" Star inquired.

"At this hour, most of the spirits of the past queens gather in Celena's room in order to pray to her, thanking her for her services and asking her to keep Mewni safe from wherever she is now," Eclipsa turned to the spirits and pointed at a door nearby, which had a heart symbol on it. "Don't worry, girls, we just came here in order to show Star what was behind that door."

"Wait a minute, time out, I just realized I need to point something out!" Star shouted, getting everybody's attention. "Back when I was younger, Mom was all about how I couldn't enter Celena's room because it could threaten my life! And now, you're telling me I could've entered anytime I wanted!?"

"Oh Star," Eclipsa chuckled. "We all hides more secrets than you think. Including you."

Eclipsa walked through the heart symbol door, and Star followed her, wherein they reached a long hallway leading to...somewhere. The queen of hearts and queen of spades remained completely silent as they walked deeper into it, but while Eclipsa just folded her arms behind her back and smiled, Star looked around the place, feeling rather uneasy about the... quiet nature of the hallway.

"So, Eclipsa, if you don't mind me asking, what do you look for in a guy?" Star asked, getting a confused look from the queen of nothingness. "What I mean is, what would a guy need in order to catch your interest? Any particular traits you like?"

Eclipsa raised an eyebrow. "That's a bit of an odd question to ask me right now, don't you think, sweetie?"

"I know, I'm just trying to start a conversation with you, since we barely get to hang out together," Star rolled her eyes. "Specially since Mom always tells me to focus on my training as queen above all else."

"Hehe, I understand how you feel," Eclipsa put a hand on her cheek and frowned. "Whenever I try to relax, Meteora always jumps at the chance to remind me to continue working on my stuff, even after I've already dealt with it. I mean, I know my role is important, but we all need some time for ourselves."

"Words to live by, girl," Star shook her head. "Could you answer my question already, though?"

"Oh right, you did ask me a question!" Eclipsa chuckled. "Well, I like my guys to be fairly big, preferrably much bigger than me, muscular, and with the ability to suck out people's souls with a single gaze!"

Star flinched. "What was the last one?"

"A big toothy smile," Eclipsa corrected without hesitation. "Oh look, we arrived already."

The queenly pair stopped in front of a curtain with a circled star on it. And again, since the circled star was commonly Celena's symbol, Star deduced that whatever was behind the room was related to Celena in some way.

"Now, get ready to have your mind blown, Star," Eclipsa said as she and Star went through the curtain. "What lays behind this is stuff only spoken of in legends."

Star just rolled her eyes and humored Eclipsa by mentally preparing herself for whatever surprise laid behind. Once inside, Star and Eclipsa arrived at a small room that was almost completely dark, except for the moonlight coming from a heart-shaped window on the ceiling, which illuminated a pillar in the middle of the room. A pillar that had something covered in a pink sheet, which Eclipsa and Star approached soon afterwards, the former clenching her hands and smiling as she got right next to the pillar.

"Lo and behold, Star!" Eclipsa shouted as she unveiled the covered object, revealing it to be a gemstone that was cut in the shape of heart. "The very thing we came here for: The Heart Fragment!"

However, rather than looking impressed at the gem, Star just stared at it with a neutral stare for a while, and in complete silence. Even when Eclipsa added jazz hands, Star wasn't impressed at all.

This eventually caught Eclipsa's attention, "Y-You do know what it is, right?"

"Yes, Eclipsa, I know what it is, I've read the legends," Star stared at the fragment as she explained, "A long time ago, back when Celena was still alive, a revolution happened. This revolution, lead by a certain good-for-nothing, ungrateful ex-combatant, went face-to-face with the forces of the council, and they got close enough to shove something down Celena's covered eye and-"

Suddenly, Star felt somebody cringe nearby. And of course, Eclipsa was the one cringing, but she was also covering her mouth and holding back tears. As soon as she saw this, Star frowned and walked to the queen's side, "S-Sorry, Eclipsa, I didn't mean to-"

"No, Star, sweetie, it's okay, it's alright," Eclipsa wiped her tears and took several deep breaths. "Just... please, skip the painful parts."

"...Well, in summary: Celena cheated death by splitting into four fragments of the gem she had in her eye, a gem that provided her with amazing magical power," Star started counting. "There were four in total, with three of them spreading all across the world. There's the Diamond fragment, the Spades fragment, the Clubs fragment-"

"And the Hearts fragment!" Eclipsa chirped up before walking towards the fragment, rubbing her hands together as she spoke, "Each fragment is stationary and harmless until they find their hosts, young females who replace their left eyes with the gems. And once all four hosts have been selected, it'll be a race against time, and our enemy factions, to gather the hosts to Mewni."

Eclipsa's excitement vanished and her smile turned into a frown as she finished, "Because if those aces were to fall in the wrong hands... it could spell the end of Mewni as we know it."

"Okay then, no need to be dramatic, I understand the danger," Star remarked. "But if the fragment's here, then the Ace of Hearts hasn't been selected yet, right?"

Eclipsa took a deep breath and turned to Star with a concerned look. "Well, that's the thing: The council and the commission talked about this, and apparently, Star... you're the most likely candidate to become the Ace of Hearts."

Star's look changed from confused to horrified as she processed what this meant, until she started to panic:

"M-M-Me?! The Ace of Hearts?! I-I can't be the Ace of Hearts! Even if I don't do anything in particular, I'm still part of the Council of Queens! We got too many things to think about! And what would other people think?! Ludo, Tom, Hekapoo, Mom, Meteora... Mom! She would completely freak out if she found out that I became the Ace of Hearts-!"

"Star, calm down this instant!" Eclipsa ordered as she covered the fragment with the sheet, while Star clutched her chest and took several deep breaths. "Now yes, you're the most likely candidate to be the host of the fragment, but since it isn't trying to shove itself down your left eye, you still have time to find somebody else to act as the host instead!"

"I see your point, Eclipsa, but that doesn't change the fact we're part of the leaders of Mewni!" Star sighed and pulled her hair. "We won't be able to go out and find another potential host before the fragment tries to turn me into it's host!"

"Well, that certainly sounds like a dilemma," Eclipsa put a hand on her cheek and rolled her eyes. "If only one of us had a girlfriend who not only governed the concept of inter-dimensional transportation, but could also travel to alternate dimensions at will. If only we had such an ally, we could ask her to go to another dimension and find another suitable host for the fragment, assuming we don't go do that ourselves, of course."

Star narrowed her eyes and folded her arms, "I know what you're hinting at, Eclipsa, but I won't ask Hekapoo to either take us to another dimension to find a new host, or go do that herself!"

Eclipsa narrowed her eyes and clenched her fists before she took a deep breath and stated:

"Listen, Star, I'm not going to force you to do anything. All I want you is to think about this logically: Like you said, being the rulers of Mewni means that we'll barely have enough time to go find a new host for the fragment, let alone have time for ourselves. And believe me, you're not the only one that wants to find another host: Your mother has been trying to find another host for the hearts fragment ever since she found out about the legend, but her attempts have failed so far-"

Star stomped the ground. "Well, if Mom couldn't find a new host, what makes you think Hekapoo or I will!?"

"Because you two have a quality that the rest of us don't: You tend to take third options," Eclipsa smiled and brushed Star's hair. "While the rest of us would either stall for time or go look for someone with mewman blood to become the host, which let's be honest, is necessary for the best case scenario, you and Hekapoo would go find some other magical creature that could serve as a temporary host, then take the fragment from them and repeat the process until you could find a mewman to serve as host, fulfilling the prophecy, prediction, whatever it is."

Star frowned and looked elsewhere.

"Listen, I've shown you the fragment, and we have to go back to the council before they start wondering why I'm taking so long," Eclipsa tilted her head with a reassuring smile. "So, if it helps you, think about this some more, and either during breakfast or lunch, you can come to me and tell me what you've decided, okay, sweetie?"

Star turned back to Eclipsa, and nodded, prompting the queen of nothingness to hug her and pat her back before the duo left the room and returned back to the council, with Star taking one last look at the covered fragment before she left.


	4. Origins

**Okay, I'm gonna be honest with you guys: This chapter is the last one I'm gonna post for a while, and there's a very particular reason for it, besides the fact that going by a weekly basis, I won't be able to update it again by the time I move away.**

 **There's a particular piece of lore in this story that I wanted to get out of my system before anything happened. A piece of lore that I don't think the show covers, and that is the origin of both mewmen and monsters.**

 **And before you say stuff like "What about Mewnipendence Day"? That was more about the origin of how the monsters got kicked out of their houses and how mewmans oppressed, rather than anything about how mewmans and monsters came into existence. Heck, for all we know, they just suddenly appeared and boom, that's it.**

 **But anyhow, let's get to the reviews:**

 **1) LoudAutomata16: I hope you enjoy the upcoming lore bit, then!**

 **2) Nobody245:**

 *** Okay then, I can try to do that. I am an expert on relationships and interactions, after all... Okay, mostly interactions, but you get the point.**

 *** Yeah, Mina's still from Mewni. The story of why she's even on Earth is... kinda sad.**

 *** Fun fact: Remember the "Everyone is Bi" joke post one of the people of the show made to a question? This AU's gonna take that interpretation and roll with it.**

 **3) animehero1000:**

 *** Maybe they do, maybe they don't. But they have no reason to go elsewhere, so...**

 *** Even in an AU, Star just can't catch a break. XD**

 *** Well, an Ace is practically one of the biggest allies mewmanity could have, so if an Ace is from an enemy race... yeah...**

 **4) avidreaded: Thanks, avi, I needed to worry even further. XD**

 **And now, to the chapter!**

* * *

 _ **Back at the Diaz household...**_

Marco's mother, Angie, swept the floor when she heard somebody knock the door. She promptly put the broom away and answered the door, where she saw her son Marco and Jackie, Brittney, and Janna, the last two looking particularly bruised.

"Oh hi Marco, Jackie," Angie greeted, her calm demeanor turning worried once she saw Janna and Brittney. "Oh my goodness, what happened to you two?!"

"We were put in Progessor Mina's "Monster Attack Orientation" class," Brittney answered, taking a deep breath as Janna added, "And we just so happened to pick septarians."

"Mina Loveberry?!" Angie exclaimed. "You mean to tell me that lunatic hasn't been fired yet?!"

"We know, right?!" Janna and Brittney exclaimed in unison.

"Well, why are you standing there?" Angie gestured the team to come in. "Come in and settle down, I'll go prepare dinner while Marco fixes you up."

The quartet went inside and Janna and Brittney sat on the couch as Marco went upstairs, and Jackie kept them company. "So, how did the exercise go?"

"Well, you know how septarians are, Jackie," Janna remarked, rubbing her forehead. "No matter how hard you hit them, they simply regenerate any and all injuries within minutes! We eventually had to resort to running away once we ran out of options, and we were lucky that Mrs. Mina wasn't there to yell at us for being cowards."

"But unlike the other exercises, you don't get penalized if you run away from a septarian," Jackie pointed out. "I mean, It's like what Mrs. Mina said: if you're dealing with something that can regenerate from all injuries, and you literally tried everything you could and still couldn't take it down, the best course of action is to retreat and live for another day."

"We know, but we forgot about that since Mrs. Mina just... looked at us, me in particular, the entire time," Brittney added. "It felt like she would do something to us, or act more strict to us than usual, but... nothing happened."

"Don't think too hard about it, Mina's a complete lunatic," Jackie rolled her eyes. "The best thing we can really do with her is try to humor her so she doesn't kill us or something."

Brittney flinched, "Do you really think she would go so far as to try kill us?"

"She's already put us against certain dangerous types of monsters to fend for ourselves, Brittney, I don't think it's too much of a stretch to think she could kill us, if she isn't trying to do that right now that is," Janna sighed and grabbed her forehead. "Can we stop talking about this? It's rather... upsetting."

Just then, Mr. Diaz arrived with a tray filled with glasses of water, which he put down on the table as Janna cheered up. "Hey, if it isn't the hunter himself. What's up, Mr. Diaz?"

"I saw Angie making more food than usual, and as soon as she told me how you came here all bruised up, I figured you needed some water to regain your strengths," Mr. Diaz threw a confused look at Jackie's direction. "Although, the way she said it made me think all three of you were bruised up, not just Janna and Brittney."

"Well, Marco and I got lucky: Mina told us to skip today's MAO exercise," Jackie replied, scratching the back of her head and blushing as she added, "Her reasoning for me was that she didn't want me to cause a little mess like last time, but for Marco... I have no idea. He went to her office and-"

"Marco went to Mina Loveberry's office?!" Mr. Diaz exclaimed, slamming his arms down the table as Marco walked downstairs. "D-Did she do anything to him?!"

"I'm assuming you're talking about my visit to Mrs. Mina's office," Marco remarked, getting everybody's attention. "Just to calm you down; No, she didn't do anything to me. She did say that she was looking for something, and she thought I knew something about it, but I didn't tell her anything else. We're perfectly fine."

And then Marco turned to the girls. "Say, are you girls going to stay here for the night?"

Brittney shrugged. "Well, yeah, that's the plan, I guess."

"It's not like we have anybody waiting back at our houses," Jackie answered, before looking somberly at the ground. "Specially not me."

Quickly seeing her friends were growing upset, Janna quickly turned to Marco and suggested, "H-Hey, Diaz, how about you tell one of those folklore stories you tend to tell us during expeditions? I bet they can take our mind away from the whole "staying here for the night" stuff!"

"But you're the only one that likes those stories!" Ferguson pointed out from within Janna's book.

"Yeah, and besides, they deal mostly with monsters!" Alfonzo added, also from within the book. "Do you really think it's such a good idea to ask your bo-"

Janna put the book on the ground and starting slapping it, causing Alfonzo and Ferguson to whine and groan in pain for each hit. At least, until Brittney interfered, saying:

"Silly little Janna, slapping won't be enough. You have to kick them as well, like this!"

Brittney kicked the book once, but was stopped by Janna when she tried to kick it again. "O-Okay, I think they got the message now! B-But anyhow, do you wanna hear one of those folklore tales?"

"I'll hear anything as long as it takes my mind away from Mrs. Mina's glare," Brittney hugged herself and shivered. "That's not a pretty sight."

"I wanna hear one of those tales too!" Jackie blurted, scratching her chin as she added, "In fact, there's one in particular that I would like to hear..."

Getting an idea of what the girl was implying, Marco smiled, sat on the opposite side of the table, and folded his arms:

"Allow me to tell you the story... of the Mewmans and the Monsters..."

 _Marco's story..._

The story started on the image of a lonely kingdom, which was surrounded by woods in the middle of nowhere.

 _"A long time ago, there was a kingdom, located right in the middle of nowhere. This kingdom, whose name itself had been lost to time, suffered through several hard times through it's existence: Shortage of food, prejudice against potential allies, an invasion, and many other things. Though the ruling monarchy tried their best to keep their people at peace, their attempts at doing so were highly unsuccessful."_

The image changed to show the royal magician talking with the royal family at the throne room.

 _"During one peculiar day, the royal magician got an idea: That they could go to another world and start all over again over there. The reason why, is because the royal magician believed that there existed other dimensions, that our world wasn't alone. And that, if she just focused enough of her energy, she could create a portal to another world, to hopefully start a new era of peace."_

The king slammed his fist down the side of his throne.

 _"But the monarchy refused to humor the royal magician. Unlike them, they believed there was only one world, that there was only one way to do things. Magic was one thing. Alternate dimensions were something unfathomable to them. They were shocked, enraged even, that the royal magician would even bother to come up with a plan that depended on a seemingly impossible variable."_

The royal magician turned around and stomped out of the room.

 _"But this didn't stop the royal magician."_

The next image showed the royal magician reading some books.

 _"She continued to study magic, learning and studying until she managed to find a way she could breach the expectations of those above her, and give the people an option to escape their dire situation. And eventually, she found a way..."_

The royal magician surfed the pages of her book, until she stopped at a page depicting a certain group of people.

 _"Through entities known as the Magic High Commission."_

A couple moments later, the royal magician was on her knees, hands clasped together in prayer.

 _"Once she found out there were beings above even royalty, beings who controlled all the magic in the universe, she prayed to them, hoping they would listen to her prayers, and give her the knowledge to give her people hope. Some say the commission listened, feeling sympathy for the harsh conditions the kingdom was suffering through. Some say they didn't listen, believing themselves to be above such petty concerns. But one thing was for certain: Her prayers were answered."_

The magician looked up to see the sky suddenly become clear.

 _"By none other than the one above the commission: Glossaryck, the creator of the commission itself."_

Glossaryck descended from the clouds, and levitated above the royal magician as he extended his hand towards her.

 _"He descended from the heavens themselves to speak to the magician. They talked for a bit, and eventually, they struck a deal. On the magician's end, she would gain enough magical power to open a portal to another, safer dimension, where she would be able to rule as queen herself."_

They shook hands.

 _"Glossaryck's end of the deal? The answer has been lost to time as well. And some people say, he didn't even ask for anything in return. He just wanted to make a deal, and that was all that mattered."_

Glossaryck flew back up to the world.

 _"Once that was done, he vanished from the mortal world, and the royal magician went to tell the good news to the people. She couldn't tell the royal family themselves, for they had made their skepticism very clear, and there was also the chance they would be unforgiving, of the topic being brought up again."_

The royal magician walked around the kingdom, gaining a small group of people following her, which only grew bigger as she started to leave the kingdom.

 _"So, she went around the kingdom, gathering people that believed in her cause, and took them to the outskirts of the kingdom, where she would open the portal that would lead to their new home. But things weren't as easy or calm as they seemed."_

The royal magician opened a portal, but then, the royalty arrived, riding horses!

 _"The monarchs appeared soon afterwards, mere moments after the portal had been opened. And along with them came their entire armada, who were ready to kill right on command."_

The royal magician flinched.

 _"My lord," the royal magician spoke, feeling a chill go down her spine. "W-What are you doing here?!"_

The king raised a sword.

 _"I'm here to stop your nonsense!" the furious king shouted. "We've been through a lot, I'll admit, but taking some of our people away to a premature death is too much!"_

The royal magician stomped the ground.

 _"I'm not taking them to their certain doom!" the royal magician shouted. "The higher beings of magic answered my prayers, my lord! We can go to a new place! Start all over again, in better conditions-!"_

The queen got off her horse, and as soon as she set foot, the atmosphere grew more intense and authoritarian.

 _"You really are as stubborn as my husband said," the queen remarked, taking a couple steps forward. "Listen, Urania, this has gone for long enough: Close that portal and get back to your duties, or we'll have no choice but to vanish you!"_

The king narrowed his eyes.

 _"And if you ever return here," the king interjected. "You shall be executed on sight."_

The royal magician narrowed her eyes, and she and her followers jumped through the portal.

 _"However, despite the threats to her very life, Urania was determined to change her followers' lives for the better. So she whistled, and she and her followers leaped through the portal, and as Glossaryck promised, they found themselves in a peaceful land... but there was one particular quirk about the place: It infused those who first entered through it, as in Urania and her followers, with magic."_

Urania and some followers were enveloped in flower-like... things, before emerging out, looking almost exactly like before, but with marks on their cheeks.

 _"Urania, having had experience with magic before, could channel and control the magic within her, which allowed her to basically merge with it. And with this knowledge, she helped some of her followers channel and merge with the magic as well. With this merging, the people transformed into an entirely new species, that still looked fairly human, but couldn't be considered as such anymore. From now on, they dubbed themselves as, "Mewmans."_

The remaining members either looked like they were melting or screamed as their bodies contorted into something more... monstrous.

 _"Those who failed to channel and merge with the magic correctly, however, didn't transform into Mewmans. Instead, their bodies started to contort, to distort themselves in ways that could only be considered human in basic shape, and nothing else. By all intents and purposes, they were just... "Monsters."_

The royal magician winced and frowned at the monsters' transformation.

 _"However, a side-effect made things even worse between Urania and her followers: Urania was the only one capable of retaining her memories. Not only that, but only a few of her followers became mewmans like her, with the rest turning into monsters. And speaking of the monsters."_

Monsters came from the horizon, prompting Urania and her mewman followers to straighten their weapons.

 _"They were more numerous than she anticipated. And without any knowledge of how to return memories, she and her fellow "mewmans" had no choice but to fight."_

One fight later, the monsters ran away, leaving the mewmans alone.

 _"The mewmans were victorious, driving the monsters away, both native monsters, and those same monsters that used to be their friends and allies."_

The royal magician looked at her wand, then at the spot the battle was fought.

 _"From the spot the battle was waged on, Urania and the other mewmans used their magic to create a kingdom that could withstand the test of time, and bring prosperity to their future descendants."_

The royal magician raised her hand, and it glew as Marco finished:

 _"A kingdom they dubbed... Mewni."_

 _ **Back in the present...**_

Marco bowed down before finishing, "And that's the story of how mewmans and monsters were made!"

"Was the part with the kingdom really necessary?" Janna asked. "I don't know, the more I hear the full story, the more the part with the kingdom in hard times sounds a bit pointless. I mean, the monsters and mewmans are more interesting, anyway."

"Hey, the story's as much about the mewmans and monsters' origins as the events that happened before then," Jackie replied as Marco sat down with the girls. "And besides, a little reminder of what the monsters used to be is always good, right?"

"Yeah, it's nice to remember that monsters and mewmans used to be human," Janna said, taking another bite out of her sandwich before somberly adding, "But the story doesn't mention them going primal or anything, and all the monsters in Echo Creek are basically mindless beasts. What did even happen that left them in such a feral state?"

"Well, I could've added that part to the story, but then you'd be looked at the director's cut edition of the tale," Marco quipped as he grabbed a sandwich. "Which is at least twice as long, and without any special features or extras to kill some time."

"Those are the worst!" Ferguson shouted from within the grimoire.

Janna, Jackie, and Marco laughed at the joke... but Brittney continued to eat her sandwich in silence, which soon got her friends' attention, as well as Mr. and Mrs. Diaz, who left the house to see if they could find what was bothering the girl.

"Hey, Brittney, is something on your mind?" Jackie frowned.

"Does it have to do with the MAO exercise today?" Janna added, raising an eyebrow. "Relax about it, girl, be glad that's at least over now."

"...Can I show you guys something that... I haven't shown anybody else?" Brittney inquired, twiddling her fingers as she briefly glanced at Marco, then added, "I get the feeling it might be what Mina's looking for, and I know I can trust you to keep it a secret."

"Okay then, what are you going to show us?" Janna clasped her hands with a sly smile. "Is it creepy and macabre?"

Instead of answering with words, Brittney took a deep breath and parted the lock of hair covering her left eye, revealing that instead of having a left eyeball, Brittney had a black gemstone with a spades-shaped cut, which took over her entire left eye.

As soon as they saw it, Jackie winced and backed away, Janna clenched her fists and giggled in excitement, and Marco crawled closer to Brittney, seemingly curious about the eye gem.

"I've seen several gemstones used as eyeballs, primarily on septarians, but I've never seen a gem with a cut like this before..." Marco narrowed his eyes and backed away a little. "How long has that thing been stuck in there?"

"Well, a week or so ago, I found this gem while... going on an expedition," Brittney hesitated. "I took it back home, and that very same night, it started acting weird. It was glowing, and it trashed the room it was kept in, almost as if it was looking for something."

"And then things turned brutal once you saw it like that, right?" Janna asked.

Brittney rubbed her arm and looked elsewhere as she somberly nodded. And as she tried to further explain herself, a certain figure was watching the team speaking. This figure being none other than Mina Loveberry, who was hanging upside down from a branch, and using binoculars to get a better look.

"So, my suspicions were right after all," Mina stated, with a hint of pride in her tone. "As soon as I saw Brittney spaced out on her desk, I knew there had to be some sort of connection to that Celena jerk. And just my luck, she happens to have the spades fragment."

Mina moved her large lock of hair, revealing that, like Brittney, she had a gem practically replacing her left eye, only this one had a clubs cut rather than a spades one.

"I'll admit it's a bit contrived that she just so happened to have the fragment counterpart to mine, but hey, as long as everything works out in the end, it'll be worth i-"

Before she could even finish, an arrow was shot, hitting the branch Mina was standing and sending her falling to the floor. Moments afterwards, Mina could sense a weapon was aimed at her, so she leaped back up, kicking the weapon away in the process, before she leaped back and regained her footing

"We don't take kindly to eavesdroppers," Mr. Diaz sternly stated as Mrs. Diaz unwrapped her arms and hissed, "Specially not you, Mina... the Deserter."

Mina chuckled and dusted herself as she got up. "Oh, you know my title? What else do you know about me?"

Mrs. Diaz revealed her arms, showing that her forearms were black until they reached her elbow, wherein the rest of her arm was normal... but her veins were completely black. Not only that, but a cheekmark materialized on her left cheek, sporting a figure resembling an orange circle, but with a couple, very small black dots all over it.

And the sight caught Mina's attention...

 _ **Meanwhile, at the Castle of Mewni...**_

The king of Mewni was having breakfast at the dining hall, all on his own, with the remaining seats, one for each member of the council of queens, remaining empty for a while. This was the case until Meteora and Eclipsa entered the room, cheering up River, and sat on their chairs.

"Good morning, Eclipsa-" the king spoke.

"Don't speak to me now, Moon's Husband," Eclipsa replied, focusing solely on her food. "As a member of the council of queens, essentially the most important group in all of Mewni, I must keep a clear head and a stern disposition at all times. Since you're not even equal to me, or even your wife for that matter, I suggest you keep your mouth shut unless I speak to you, or else you may risk having me unleash my wrath upon you!"

River flinched and swallowed his food, going silent near instantly at the statement. However, what Meteora, who was in a calmer mood, said next made him rest easy:

"Don't listen to her, she's just practicing the image she needs to put up while we're in public."

With that said, River took a deep breath of relief, then took a quick look at Meteora's hands. Particularly her claws, one of which was broken. "Hey, did something happen?"

"Nothing you need to worry about, River," Meteora quickly covered her broken claw. "Just a quick little scuffle at my reformatory school, nothing that I haven't been through before. You see, one of the princesses had the stupid suggestion to put a child princess as the cook, and when I rejected her proposition? She attacked me!"

"Goodness gracious!" River remarked.

"Yeah, you think that after spending a couple of months in the reformatory school, they would learn that attacking me will only make them stay there even longer," Meteora sighed. "But then again, the princess who made the suggestion was quite a troublemaker, so, I don't think they'd care about that fact anyway."

"That just goes to show you that some princesses don't deserve to rule their respective kingdoms one day," Eclipsa sternly interjected. "You should call her parents and convince them to take away in right she has to the throne. Or even better, take away her individuality, just like how-"

"Mom, we've been through this before," Meteora narrowed her eyes and sternly glared at Eclipsa. "The reformatory school is supposed to help the princesses learn discipline, self-control, and many other things that'll help them be better rulers, and the way those things were achieved before, were inhuman and disgusting!"

"And effective!" Eclipsa returned the stern glare. "And I'm sorry for advocating what must've been one of the worst times in your life, but the new methods you've decided to implement, by giving the princesses the choice to defy you and drive you nuts, has been far less successful than the methods of the past!"

Eclipsa devoured her food in an instant, and stood up before growling, "And whether you like it or not, there will eventually be a time where you'll have no choice but to go back to the old methods, or else have the school collapse right in front of your eyes!"

Meteora narrowed her eyes and engaged in a stern staring fight with Eclipsa for a while, until the queen of nothingness turned around and stomped her way out of the dining room, leaving her daughter and River alone, which was further showcased when she loudly slammed the door shut soon afterwards.

As soon as she was gone, Meteora took a deep breath and turned to River, "I'm sorry you had to witness that."

"No, it's okay, I'm used to it," River replied, patting Meteora in the back. "Moon and Star do get into arguments like the one you just had every once in a while, so I know that the best thing to do is to keep my mouth shut and let things play out, or else things might've gone worse."

"Honestly, I just don't understand Mom sometimes," Meteora folded her arms. "One second, she's the most supportive figure in my life. Next second, she suddenly starts acting stern towards me, either to practice her public image or for other. Then, one second she's on my side, and on the next one, she's on the side that I'm against!"

"Eclipsa's an enigma, I guess," River took a quick look around. "Have you seen Moon and Star? I haven't seen them since you went to pick them up for your meeting."

"They seemed pretty tired when it was over, so I assume they went back to sleep. And seeing how early they woke up, they won't get up for a while," Meteora scratched her chin. "Although, I get the feeling that Star should've woken up a long time ago..."

 _ **Speaking of Star...**_

At the Queen of Hearts' bedroom, Star and Hekapoo sat the queen's bed, each holding a teacup on their hand. Star looked at the tea on her teacup, then took a sip of it as she gathered enough confidence to speak.

"Thanks for answering my request, Hekapoo," Star told the interdimensional redhead as she took a sip of her tea. "I know that it must be difficult, since you have your work to do and-"

"Don't worry about it, Star, I can multiply, remember? Whenever you need me, I can always send one of my clones as a replacement," Hekapoo replied. "Now, what's the thing that you needed to discuss with me?"

Star took a deep breath, then put her teacup on the table nearby before speaking:

"Well, Hekapoo, there's a certain matter that I need to do, and it could possibly take place in another dimension."

Hekapoo nodded.

"Well, I wanted to ask you if you knew anybody who could open portals to other dimensions?"

Hekapoo didn't respond.

"Someone who, alongside being able to open portals to other dimensions, also had the capacity to create interdimensional scissors, in case I have to go alone?"

Hekapoo took a sip of her tea, but besides that, didn't respond.

"Or even better: Someone who can cut open portals to other dimensions, can create interdimensional scissors, and is one of the most trustworthy people I know!"

Hekapoo blinked, then took another sip of her tea before saying, "This tea's pretty nice, is it a family recipe or-"

Eventually, Hekapoo's apparent ignorance got on Star's nerves. "Come on, Hekapoo, you still haven't gotten the hint?!"

"Oh no, I got the hint a while ago, Beautyfly," Hekapoo replied in a casual tone. "I was just waiting for you to realize I was ignoring you on purpose."

"Why!?" Star growled.

"Star, taking you to another dimension for no reason would piss off Meteora!" Hekapoo replied. "And admittedly, that's one of my favorite hobbies, but I prefer to do it for a reason."

"Well..." Star looked to her left and right, then whispered to the interdimensional's redhead ear, "If I tell you why I'm asking you to do this, will you keep it a secret?"

"You got my word, as long as it isn't Meteora who's trying to get me to spill the beans," Hekapoo twiddled her fingers. "Once she starts grabbing me with her big, muscular, half-monstery arms, I can't help but say anything to get her to put me down."

Star took a deep breath, and explained:

"Eclipsa showed me yesterday a room with one of the fragments that Great Grandmother Shy, Celena, whatever you wanna call her, split into after her death or whatever the heck she went through. She told me I was going to become the ace of that thing, but as a member of the council, my hands are full enough as it is! So she suggested me to ask you to look in another dimension to find a replacement!"

Hekapoo blinked twice, prompting Star to clasp her hands and request, "Could you do me that favor, Hekapie?"

"Star, I can't just cut open a portal and make it lead to the specific dimension you want to go to," Hekapoo replied. "All dimensions have their very own type of portal, and some overlap, so a harmless dimension and an incredibly dangerous dimension could have a portal that look the same. Bottom line, if you can't tell me where you want to go, I can't take you there."

Star frowned. "I need to go to the dimension where the Spades and Clubs fragment are located. If the aces of those fragments have been selected, then surely there are some entities in there that could work as an auxilliary Ace of Hearts!"

"Yeah, that won't cut it, Beautyfly," Hekapoo shook her head. "Maybe you could ask Omnitraxus? His job is to watch over all of space and time, and he's Eclipsa's servant, so I don't think it would be too hard to convince him to give you a helping hand."

Suddenly, the door was literally kicked open by none other than Eclipsa, who promptly shouted:

"Star, have you confused your blood-haired girlfriend to help us yet!? I'm not in a good mood, so for your sake, your answer better be along the lines of "yes!"

Star stood still in shock, while a startled Hekapoo hid behind Star, shivering as she hoped Eclipsa wouldn't spot her.

Mere moments later, Star and Eclipsa were walking down a hallway that was similar to the hallway of queens, only instead of having walls sporting the cheekmarks of the past queens, these ones had odd images, with a specific member of the Magic High Commission inside of said picture.

"I can't believe that we have to deal with more than one member of the commission just to get this stupid mission underway!" Eclipsa snapped, stomping the ground as she looked for Omnitraxus' wall. "They're supposed to be helping us by making our jobs easier, not make things more complicated!"

"Yeah, but they also have the job to maintain the balance of the multiverse, and you know this as well as the rest of us!" Star stated, stopping Eclipsa by grabbing her arm and keeping her in place. "Look, just, calm down for a moment, okay? Why are you so angry right now, anyway?"

"I got into an argument with Meteora, Star, nothing I want to discuss right now," Eclipsa rolled her eyes. "And besides, for all of you wanting to defend them, even you have to admit that the commission can be unbelievable at times!"

Eventually, the duo reached the wall that lead to Omnitraxus' room, which had an image drawn in it, depicting Omnitraxus holding several dimensions in his hands. The pair of queens jumped through the portal, and landed in Omnitraxus' room, which was basically a small, dark room illuminated by some sort of multiversal map, which showed several billion dimensions in it.

And Omnitraxus was looking at those billion dimensions when she noticed the ladies arrive. "Eclipsa? Star? What brings you to my-"

"Save the chit-chat for later, Omnitraxus," Eclipsa replied with an authoritarian tone. "We need you to locate the fragments of Spades and Clubs right now. It's for something we need to do."

The master of Space-Time hesitated, feeling curious as to why Eclipsa and Star would need to know that specific detail. However, he knew better than to keep the queens waiting, so he searched for a bit, then zoomed in on the dimension the fragments were located.

Star tilted her head as she read the name out loud: "Earth?"

"The dimension of the maginuchs!" Eclipsa exclaimed in shock.

"Maginuchs? You mean those entities that possess no magical powers of their own? Or any magical essence, whatsoever?" Star inquired, scratching her chin as she thought about it. "Why would the fragments be there? I thought they were only attracted to magical stuff, which the maginuchs supposedly lack."

"P-Perhaps they snatched the fragments, thinking they were magical artifacts they could use to protect themselves," Eclipsa suggested, rubbing her forehead as she sighed, "That's just how Maginuchs are: Desperate for anything magical that can give them the protection they don't deserve."

"Well, one way or another, the fragments are over there," Star folded her arms. "So, we'll take a little rest, then depart."

"We?" Eclipsa repeated. "As in, we'll be the ones to go there?"

Star raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, is there an issue with that?"

"I... don't feel comfortable around maginuchs," Eclipsa scratched the back of her head. "Could we send one of our men instead?"

"If we send our armed forces, the maginuchs could take that as a signal for war, and that's the last thing we need right now," Star hastily pointed out. "And the Magic High Commission, despite counting as our subordinates, still have to do their work in maintaining balance in the universe. What I'm trying to say is, either we go check it, or we let the maginuchs keep it for a little while longer-"

"Oh underworld no!" Eclipsa snapped, stomping the ground. "I may be uncomfortable with maginuchs, but I'm even more uncomfortable with the idea of them possessing such an important object!"

Star rolled her eyes and walked to the door. "Well, then get prepared, because we'll be going as soon as I finish something."

"What are you going to do?" Eclipsa inquired.

Star stopped, looking like she was about to answer the woman's question, but then she shrugged it off and left the room, leaving Eclipsa and Omnitraxus alone. And Omnitraxus, in particular, could notice Eclipsa seemed to be upset about something.

The giant sentient galaxy tried to approach the woman, but she quickly slapped his hand away and snapped, "Don't you have something to do in another dimension?!"

"Yes, I do, in fact," Omnitraxus grabbed Eclipsa with both his hands, and levitated them towards his face before opening them, letting Eclipsa rest on his palms. "And that dimension is the dimension of your inner feelings."

The queen of spades blushed, and shook her head before snapping, "Are you trying to flirt with me!? Because I'll warn you: my husband's really jealous! And even if he isn't on Mewni, he can sense when people are flirting with me! In fact, he's probably moving across dimensions to try and-"

"Okay, Eclipsa, I get it. And while I'll admit I could've worded my statement better, I'm not trying to seduce you or anything," Omnitraxus settled down as Eclipsa threw an annoyed look at him. "It's just that I can't help but notice that your anger seems to be fueled by something in particular. I mean, you're usually more... mellow, and easy-going-"

"Well, I can be cranky if I want!" Eclipsa folded her arms and looked elsewhere. "After all, I may not look like it, but I'm an old lady, and all old ladies are cranky at least once!"

Omnitraxus was not impressed. "The fact you're trying to justify it with an excuse like that only proves that there's something going on."

The queen of spades flinched and tried her hardest to avoid eye contact as Omnitraxus blatantly stated:

"Eclipsa, if there's something bothering you, then keeping it to yourself isn't going to help anybody. You have to let it out, otherwise, things are only going to get worse. Now tell me... what's wrong?"

Eclipsa took a deep breath, and remained silent for a moment until she explained:

"I... showed Star the Heart fragment... it was supposed to be something private... but, somehow, Moon found out about it..."

Omnitraxus nodded, and continued to listen.

"Shortly after, while I was sleeping, Moon and Rhombulus entered my room, crystallized me, and took me over to Rhombulus' home."

"I can see why you'd be upset, then," Omnitraxus shook his head in sympathy. "Crystallization... must be a sore point for you."

"Yeah, and as if that wasn't enough, once they decrystallized me, Moon got Rhombulus to seal both of us, and himself too by accident, inside a sound-proof crystal prison, where she gave me a really insulting, really damaging earful! She practically scolded me like I was a child, and I'm older than her!"

Omnitraxus leaned closer to Eclipsa. "What did she say?"

Eclipsa moved a bit closer to Omnitraxus' ear, or what she thought counted as his ear, and hesitated before whispering the answer, shivering as she said it to the very last detail. And the instant she finished, she backed away and curled up in a fetal position... while Omnitraxus stood still, though his neutral expression made it hard to notice if he was shocked, or if he was neutral about the answer.

"Okay, you know what I think?" Omnitraxus put Eclipsa on the ground. "Moon's words hold some truth: Revealing Star about the existence of the Heart fragment this earlier could cause some issues, specially if you really do want to bring Celena back. However, saying it in a such a... dramatically over-the-top language, probably can't get the message across."

"Are you for real!?" Eclipsa snapped, flailing her arms up and down as she hissed, "I'm your boss, and yet you're going over to Moon's si-"

"Let me finish."

Eclipsa stopped, allowing Omnitraxus to focus on transforming his celestial body into a reflection of what he said next: First, he showed the four members of the council of queens; Eclipsa, Moon, Star, and Meteora, with a line connection Eclipsa to Meteora, and Moon to Star.

"You have to keep in mind that your daughter is Meteora, and Star is Moon's daughter. A Mother will do whatever it takes to keep their child safe, but the need to protect one's child can go overboard sometimes. Simpy put, Moon acted overbearing and went a bit over the top in calling you out, but she did it with a good intention."

Omnitraxus changed the image to only show Moon and Meteora.

"Now, let me ask you something, Eclipsa: How would you feel, and what would you do, if Moon showed Meteora, your own daughter, and without your permission, something as shocking to her as the Hearts fragment is to Star?"

"I'd feel furious, and betrayed! I mean, Meteora's my daughter! I'm the one who should be revealing the stuff to her, and only when she was ready!" Eclipsa growled, stomping the ground once. "Moon has no right to show something to my daughter without my permission!"

And in that moment, Eclipsa realized something:

"And... that's exactly what I did with Star, didn't I? Moon never gave me permission to show her the fragment, and yet, I did..."

Omnitraxus turned back to normal as the queen of spades scratched the back of her head and looked at the ground with a look of regret. He then shrunk himself down a bit, to the point where he was stil much bigger than Eclipsa, but not as big as a house anymore, and Eclipsa walked to him and hugged him, with the celestial entity returning the hug as he said:

"Be more mindful of what you're doing next time, okay?"

Eclipsa paused, then hugged harder.

"I'll try."


	5. Worlds Collide

**This is penultimate chapter before the end of the introduction arc, that means the story will FINALLY start getting somewhere! Yaaaaay! And before anybody asks, yes, Star and Marco will meet in this chapter. I did say they would meet eventually, didn't I? Might as well keep up my promise while I still can.**

 **Also, a quick question for you guys: Would you like me to add next chapter previews to this story, like in CoR, or nah?**

 **Also also, 21 favorites, 23 follows, and only 5 chapters so far? I don't know what you think, but I'm proud of that. Thank you guys so much for the favs and follows :)**

 **And now, to the reviews:**

 **1) LoudAutomata16: I didn't even think about The Witcher while writing this, so if I had gone with that, it would've been by complete accident. And yeah, the info will be important later on, but how much later on? Glossaryck could tell you, but he's Glossaryck, so...**

 *** By "Magic High Council", did you mean the Council of Queens and Magic High Commission? Because, by all intents and purposes, they're separate groups.**

 **2) animehero1000: Never heard of that, so count that as an accidental shout-out. XD**

 *** I may return to the origin story, because what happens to Glossaryck is... quite the game changer.**

 *** Diamond is on Mewni's dimension, but it's not like it's easy to get at all...**

 *** Yeah, poor Moon.**

 **3) Nobody245: I'm surprised you didn't react to the "everybody is literally bi" in the last chapter's notes.**

 *** Yes, but also no? Janna and Marco slightly got feelings for each other since they were kids, but Marco still held his crush on Jackie like in canon, so It's complicated. As for Brittney, well, Marco's the safe kid, so their dating is more along the lines of Marco making sure Brittney's safe and sound. Again, it's complicated.**

 *** Well, I didn't notice until now, dang it. But no, if any other princesses/queens are added, it will be those from canon.**

 *** Mina was found by Mr. and Mrs. Diaz, yes, but even if she's fired from the school, which could be problematic since she's the only person Principal Skeeves knows that can manage the MAO program, she still has another job or two that require her to be sneaky and effective against monsters. So, being fired would be bad, but also not so bad.**

 **And now, to the chapter!**

* * *

Star, now in her bedroom, was checking through her closet to see if she still held her sword among her clothes. Because obviously, if you're royalty, you put your sword in your closet rather than something stupid like an armory or something. Anyhow, Star quickly took up her sword, and a belt that had both her sword's scabbards and some other objects, like a knife, potions, etc.

With that done, Star went to the middle of her room, and took a deep breath before she examined herself.

First, she looked down her dress, and pulled it a bit to reveal her battle armor underneath. "Battle armor just in case hostiles appear? Check!"

Then she reached for her belt. "Utility belt? Check!"

Finally, she scratched her chin. "Make sure Mom doesn't get suspicious?"

"Make sure I don't get suspicious about what?"

Star flinched and internally screamed, before slowly turning around to see Moon standing at the entrance to her room, sporting a stern look and folded arms as she walked to her daughter.

"W-Well, i-it's just that, you know how you tend to get really involved with my life and such whenever you get the chance, right?" Star spoke, trying to keep calm as her Mother reached her, prompting Star to back away a little. "Well, sometimes, I have to do things on my own, and you still try to get involved even then! A-And this time-"

Moon sighed. "Star, I know that Eclipsa showed you the Heart fragment."

Star's heart skipped a beat as what used to be over-the-top anxiety turned into silent, dreadful anticipation. "H-How did you find out?"

"The All-Seeing Eye," Moon snapped her fingers, and summoned that exact spell out of thin air. "Eclipsa probably never expected her own spells to be used against her, but look at where we are now. Granted, only she can use the full version, so I had to go with the version that can film stuff, but not the audio."

Moon snapped her fingers again, and the eye vanished from existence. "Point is, I saw the exact moment when Eclipsa showed you the Heart fragment. And, from the rest of the video, I assume she told you that you were supposed to become the Ace of Hearts."

Star looked elsewhere and rubbed her arm with a worried look, while Moon put a hand on her shoulder and asked, with a concerned tone, "Please, tell me she told you that it wasn't necessary for you to become the ace-"

"Yeah, she said that there could be another ace," Star hastily replied. "In fact, she suggested me we could go to another dimension and find another entity that could serve as a temporary ace."

Moon's eyes grew wide and she took a step back in shock. "W-Wait a minute, Eclipsa actually told you there could be another Ace of Hearts?! She didn't try to convince you to do it yourself?!"

"Well, yeah," Star tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. "Is that weird?"

"Star, out of all the members of the Council of Queens, no type in particular, just all of us in general, Eclipsa had one of the closest relationships with Celena. She adored her in a way that most of us couldn't understand, but this also brought her to do things that none of us would approve of," Moon rubbed her shoulder and looked elsewhere. "Like showing you the Heart fragment and telling you about you being it's ace: None of us wanted you to learn about it so early! In fact, I wanted to try and find a potential replacement before... well, you know."

"And that's we want to do, too: Eclipsa and I are just goin to look for a potential replacement for my role as the Ace of Hearts," Star replied, trying to keep her mother calm. "And once we manage to sort things out, I'll take the fragment and do... whatever I'm supposed to do with it. Sounds like a plan, right?"

"Yes... although, I still can't help but think there's something... wrong about it..." Moon scratched her chin and thought about it. "Star, don't take this as me saying you shouldn't trust Eclipsa-"

"Cue you saying exactly that," Star said, rolling her eyes and shaking her head.

Moon narrowed her eyes. "But she's not the kind of person someone should put their complete trust and faith in!"

Star shrugged. "Meh, close enough."

"I mean it, Star: Trusting Eclipsa completely is a terrible mistake! She has something planned, and whatever it is, it can't be anything good," Moon put both her hands on her daughter's shoulder. "Listen, Star, promise me that if things go wrong, you'll call for assistance, okay?"

Star silently nodded, and she and her mother left her room. The woman then hugged her daughter, and kept the hug for a while until Star nervously patted her back, with the duo separating and going their separate ways shortly afterwards. Moon went upstairs, while Star went downstairs to meet Eclipsa at the entrance, though it didn't take her long before she heard something down:

"Where's Meteora!?"

"How am I supposed to know!?"

Star recognized the voices as Hekapoo's and Eclipsa's respectively, and she quickly darted downstairs and ran to them, knowing that Eclipsa and Hekapoo were a conversation that could only end badly if left for far too long.

"What do you mean you don't know where she is?!" Hekapoo snapped, stomping the ground hard enough to slightly crack it. "You weren't encased in a crystal prison for centuries for no reason, you know? It was so you and your daughter could live in the same time period, together, and now you're telling me you're NOT keeping an eye on her 24/7 for once!?"

"Listen, I said some things that proably... well, okay, definitely upset her, and I only realized this after speaking with Omnitraxus," Eclipsa replied, folding her arms and looking elsewhere as she pouted, "The best thing that I thought I could do was give her some time to breath, so I haven't seen her since then. And if you're wondering about me apologizing, I have to do something with Star, so I'll apologize when we get back-"

"Oh, underworld no, I'm not letting you get out of this damn dimension before you apologize to Meteora," Hekapoo's hair literally started lighting up as she growled, "Because in case you've forgotten, I'm the master of interdimensional travel, and you can bet your sorry ass that I'm gonna leave you stuck in this pitiful kingdom, until you tell her, you're sorry for what you said!"

Once she said that, Hekapoo's hair literally turned into a masive flame as her eyes started glowing red, and she was surrounded by a flaming aura as the entire castle was tinted red, and the temperature rose higher and higher. Seeing this, Star immediately stepped in and said:

"H-Hekapoo, listen, we need to do something real quick, and once we come back, I'll be sure to have Eclipsa apologize to meteora immediately!"

Hekapoo's appearence turned back to normal, but her flaming aura remained as the temperature got lower, but not by much.

"I promise you, that's the first thing we'll do!" Star stated. "But we need to go to Earth right now!"

Hekapoo took a deep breath and snapped her fingers, dissipating the aura and returning the temperature back to normal. Once that was done, Hekapoo cut open a portal to Earth with her bare hands, and threw an angry glare at the queens as she hissed:

"One chance. That's all you get. And then, we'll do it my way!"

Hekapoo snapped her fingers and was engulfed by a bunch of flame, with the fire dissipating to reveal only a scorch mark where Hekapoo used to be. Seeing this way their chance, Eclipsa grabbed Star's hand, and leaped with her through the portal, where they fell down a long stream of what seemed to be some sort of blue void.

"Say, Star, remember when you asked me what I looked for in a guy?" Eclipsa asked, earning Star's attention. "I think it's about time you tell me what you look for in a romantic partner. Because going by Hekapoo, should I assume you like them to be extremely violent and emotional?"

"No, I like them with horns, and maybe with some fangs as well," Star casually answered. "I don't know why, but I really find those things attractive on people."

Shortly afterwards, Eclipsa and Star jumped out of the portal, Eclipsa smiling widely and going ahead of Star, while Star looked worried as she was pulled along by the queen of spades. Once at the other side, the queens fell on some bushes, which was close nearby to the Diaz household.

"Okay, looks like we landed close to some sort of maginuch location," Eclipsa said as she and Star took a peek from the bush. "Here's the plan: We'll split up, you'll go look off to the forests where things are calmer, and I'll see what's happening in the location, and if necessary, beat the maginuchs into telling me where they're keeping the fragments hidden."

"Splitting up sounds like a terrible idea," Star remarked. "I mean, what if we end up being ambushed?!"

"Star, please, we're half of the ruling matriarchy of Mewni! No maginuchs could ever hope to be able to hurt us!" Eclipsa boasted. "Even you, being the weakest matriarch, should still be able to deal with some random maginuchs with ease. Specially if you came prepared."

Star looked elsewhere, knowing that she did get prepared, but her and Eclipsa's moment was interrupted when an explosion happened, prompting the pair to separate as soon as they could. However, as Star ran away, a certain someone was watching her from the window of Marco's bedroom.

And this someone was, of course, Marco himself, who watched the queen of hearts run off, just in time for Jackie, Janna, and Brittney to barge into his room.

"Marco, have you seen what's going on already?!" Jackie asked as she walked to Marco's side. "You've been here for a couple minutes now, we started to get worried!"

"Well, I have good news and bad news," Marco folded his arms behind his back and turned to the girls. "The bad news is twofold: My parents are fighting with Mina, and two intruders just arrived in our world."

"Intruders?" Brittney repeated as Janna opened her grimoire, releasing Alfonzo and Ferguson as she surfed through the pages. "You think they might be mewmen?"

"That could be the case," Janna said, stopping at a page that talked about interdimensional travel. "According to the grimoire, interdimensional travel is most commonly performed by mewmans, since their business tends to be between dimensions."

"By that logic, the intruders are mewmen, got it," Alfonzo remarked before flying over to Marco in a panic. "Now what are the good news?"

"The intruders separated," Marco spoke as he walked to the middle of the room. "I know that one of them ran into the forest, but the other one, I don't know where they went. However, the point is, it'll be easier to deal with them this way."

Everybody exchanged looks and reunited with Marco, who turned around and explained his plan:

"Okay, if we want things to go with as little damage as possible, there are some things we need to do: Jackie, I need you to go help my parents. Even someone with their experience in the field, it'll be pretty hard to pin down Mina on their own."

The blonde skater nodded and cracked her knuckles before she ran off to help the Diazes.

"Brittney," Marco stated, heading over to the cheerleader. "I need you to stay here. If what you said is true, and Mina's looking for you eye-gem-thing, then we need to make sure you stay as far away from her as possible."

The cheerleader remained silent for a moment, only to nod in agreement soon afterwards. And then Marco turned to Janna and the spirit boys.

"Janna, Alfonzo, Ferguson, I need you to keep Brittney company. And also, if somehow any of the intruders attack us, you four should be able to deal with them."

"To think four people are the minimum needed to keep one freaking mewman at bay," Alfonzo rubbed his forehead. "I just hope they're reasonable."

"Well, what about you, Marco?" Janna asked, taking a step forward. "What are you going to do?"

Marco smiled, and saved his hands on his pocket as he stated with confidence:

"I'll go deal with the intruder in the forest."

 _ **Meanwhile, back with Mina Versus The Diazes...**_

Mina cartwheeled back, avoiding the spears thrown by Rafael and the dark energy balls that were shot by Angie, until she leaped up high just before Angie threw a much bigger energy ball at her, which blew up as soon as it hit the ground, with the explosion sending Mina flying and crashing into the roof of the Diaz household. And she barely got a moment to breath, since Angie leaped off to her position, and swung her shadow arms like whips while Rafael continued to throw spears from his position, his vision focused solely on hitting Mina.

"Listen, I know you're very upset at the fact I was eavesdropping on your son and his girlfriends, but I got a very good reason for that," Mina spoke, while multitasking everything that was happening at the moment. "You see, I've been looking for a particular magical artifact, and I saw one of your son's friends has it! I just need to talk with them and-"

"And nothing!" Angie snapped, whipping Mina with one of her arms as she turned the other one into a net. "You'll first tell us what you wanted with Marco when you called him into your office, and then we'll see if we can hand you the artifact!"

One of Rafael's spears hit Mina in the arm, allowing Angie to wrap her on her net and drag her towards her. "Understood?"

"Y-Yeah..." Mina yawned. "But, why do I feel... so tired right now?"

"Because these aren't just spears, dear Mina," Angie took out the spear ludged in Mina's arm, and revealed how the tip had some purple... thing on it. "It's a spear embedded with a sleep-inducing material. You should be knocked out in about 10 or so seconds."

Mina chuckled and yawned again before saying, "Clever... girl..."

Mina fell asleep soon afterwards, and Angie threw her off the room, where Rafael caught her on his burly arms. "Rafael, take her to the guest room, and make sure she doesn't get out of there until later! We need to ask her about her goals, no matter what!"

Rafael nodded, and immediately ran inside, leaving Angie alone in the roof to take a couple seconds to breath and relax. That is, until she raised her arm and generated a shield of darkness around her, protecting her from an incoming energy blast, which exploded upon contact and covered the area in a pitch black smoke cloud.

"You know, it's rather rude that you're taking the chance to attack me after I just dealt with a particular pest," Angie said as she undid her shadow shield, which somehow dispersed the smoke cloud as well. "I mean, I know your kind's weaker than a normal human..."

Angie stood up and dusted herself as Eclipsa landed on the roof and tried to maintain her balance as the woman hissed, "But are you such a coward that you would rather do a sneak attack than face me head-on?"

Once Eclipsa got a good handle on herself, she clenched her fists and took a look at Angie's arms as the woman took a battle stance. "Your arms... are they tainted with dark magic?"

Angie saw her arms and hastily hid them behind her back, "That's none of your business!"

"Actually, it very much is," Eclipsa folded her arms. "I'm Eclipsa, the Queen of Nothingness, formerly the Queen of Darkness. I've come here looking for some artifacts known as "The Fragments," and a quick search revealed they were in your dimension. So spit it out, maginuch, where are you hiding them?"

Angie, clearly upset by the use of the word "maginuch," threw a furious glare at Eclipsa as she stated, "I don't know what you think you know, but I don't have any of the fragments in my possession. And if you know what's good for you, then you'll leave my house, and my family alone, right this instant."

Eclipsa, of course, didn't quite appreciate Angie throwing some sass at her, but something else quickly caught her attention: This something being Angie's dark forearms, which reminded her of her and Moon's similarly darkness-tinted forearms, although Angie's seemed to be more... advanced, than hers?

"Before I go, I'd like to add something," Eclipsa said with the best faked friendly tone she could muster. "As my former title implies, I deal with matters that concern with dark magic, and your arms look like they were tainted by it. And I just have to ask, how long have they been like that?"

Eclipsa narrowed her eyes and sternly added, "And why haven't you turned into a monster yet? Once a maginuch gets infested by magic, it's only a matter of time before they transform into a monster. Is your infection recent or something?"

"Hmph, I can't tell if I'm supposed to take your stupid belief as something offensive, or just sad," Angie cracked her knuckles and morphed her arms into hammers. "But I guess that doesn't matter when I'm going to pummel you to the ground!"

"If you can't even do that," Eclipsa scoffed. "So, come on."

Eclipsa did the "come at me" gesture.

"Give it a shot."

 _ **Meanwhile, with Star...**_

The queen of hearts walked around the forest, making sure to have her hand as close to her sword as possible, to unsheath it just in case she was attacked by something. Probably a monster, since humans, or "maginuchs" as her people would call them, couldn't really do anything to her. Then, she stopped and took a look around, just to make sure she was neither being followed, or there were monsters ready with their eyes set on her...

"Hello there."

Star turned around and saw none other than Marco approaching her, hands in his pockets and a little smile on his face. However, Star couldn't tell if the smile was a genuine, welcoming one, or a smug, threatening one, so she immediately backed away and reached for her sword, keeping a stern look at Marco as he finally reached her and looked down at her.

Literally so, not figuratively, of course.

"G-Greetings..." Star spoke, taking a deep breath before she sternly continued, "I'm Star Butterfly, the Queen of Hearts of the Council of Queens. I've come from Mewni, seeking a certain... artifact, for private reasons."

"Oh, you're a member of the Council of Queens? I've never heard of them, but I'll assume they're important," Marco bowed down, though from Star's perspective, it looked more like he was leaning towards her. "My name is Marco Diaz, and it's quite a pleasure for me to finally meet one of your kind in person."

Star, flustered at Marco's odd bowing, took a couple steps back and sternly said, "W-Well, with the formalities done with, I, uh... I demand that you take me to the fragments of Spades and Clubs!"

"Fragments of Spades and Clubs?" Marco repeated, earning a nod from Star. "I'm afraid I haven't heard of those things before. But you do seem to be in a hurry, and if those things are really important, I can offer you my help in finding them."

Marco's tone turned stern. "Or are you unwilling to accept help from a mere human, like your fellow mewmen?"

Star raised an eyebrow. "How did you figure out I'm a mewman?"

"Are you serious? You literally just called yourself "Star Butterfly, Queen of Hearts of the Council of Queens" as if I was supposed to take that as a big deal," Marco replied, shaking his head in disbelief. "Besides, you have a pair of pink hearts on your cheeks, and you have six fingers on each hand, the latter which I think only mewmans have."

"Hey, on my defense, I could've just been bluffing when I introduced myself just to intimidate you," Star replied, lowering her sword and rolling her eyes. "I mean, I was completely honest when I said that, but you get what I'm saying. Now, tell me what you know about the fragment of Spades and Clubs!"

Marco remained silent, and after about 10 seconds, Star raised her sword and snapped, "Tell me what you know already!"

"I just did: I told you nothing, because I know nothing," Marco saved his hands on his pocket and tilted his head. "And now, be honest with me: Do you really think that asking a random human, who has done nothing to hurt you, is going to get you anywhere?"

Star kept her stance for a moment, exchanging stern glares with Marco for a while until she took a deep breath and lowered her sword, with Marco still staring sternly at her as she shook her head and looked elsewhere. She then saved her sword in her scabbard and started to head deeper into the forest, until Marco asked, "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to continue my search for the fragments," Star sternly answered, not even bothering to face Marco as she added, "If you don't know where they are, then the only thing I can do is search on my own. Who knows, maybe it won't take me long to find them!"

"Or, you could get lost in the middle of some forest in a dimension you don't know of," Marco pointed out, causing Star to stop on her tracks. "Specially since it's night, when the stray monsters are at their most active. Listen, you probably don't care about my opinion, but the best thing you could do right now is find some place away from the danger."

Marco smiled. "And I know exactly where to go. That is, if you're reasonable enough to consider the offer."

Star turned around to see Marco extend a hand towards her, with her only other option at the moment being to head deeper into the dark forest, where she saw some yellow eyes opening in the shadows, each looking threateningly at her. She turned back to Marco, who now sported a calm, if a little unnerving, smile, waiting for her answer...

 _ **Back inside the Diaz household...**_

Jackie was about to open the door and head outside when Rafael kicked the door open, with the image of the man holding an unconscious Mina Loveberry being too shocking for Jackie to ignore. "So, uh, what happened?"

"Angie and I managed to knock Mina with a spear embedded with something that would make her fall asleep," Mr. Diaz explained as he walked past Jackie and headed to the guest room. "Angie told me to take her to the guest room, so we could interrogate her later."

"But the guest room is close to Marco's room, and Janna and Brittney are staying there! Or, at least I suppose they are, since I can't think of a safer room to stay in than his," Jackie pointed out, making the man stop and turn to look at the teenager with worry. "What if Mina wakes up and starts looking for Marco or the other thing she's seeking?"

"It's alright, Jackie, Angie and I know what we're doing," Rafael answered, putting up a calm smile. "Besides, the material should keep Mina asleep long enough to allow your friends to escape, once things have calmed down, of course."

Jackie frowned. "Mr. Diaz..."

The man just nodded and continued on his way to the guest room shortly afterwards, leaving Jackie alone to think about the situation... for about a second before she heard an explosion outside, reminding her of what Marco told her to do: Go help his parents. So she ran outside, and encountered a large, dark purple smoke cloud nearby, where two figures came out.

The first figure was Angie, who coughed a bit and caught her breath as she tried to regain her footing.

The second figure was Eclipsa, who came out of the cloud looking like a sentient shadow before she dived into the ground, literally turning into a shadow as she slithered towards Angie, then morphed in a circular pattern around Angie before splitting off that shadow, turning back to her physical form as the encircling dark matter turned into a dark whip, of course held by Eclipsa.

The Queen of Spades chuckled as she then swung the whip, causing Angie to spin around the place before she headed towards her, with Eclipsa transforming the dark whip into a bat in preparation, specially since Angie started to slow down as she came closer and closer to the queen. Once she was close enough, Eclipsa swung her dark bat... only for Angie to counterattack with a shadow bat on her own, stopping in that instant in front of Eclipsa to reveal her eyes were closed, with Eclipsa at a loss for words as she swung the bat, sending Angie a couple feet back.

"H-How?" Eclipsa gritted her teeth. "How come you're not dizzy from all the spinning?! You should be wobbling all over the place by now!"

Angie chuckled and opened her eyes, sporting a playful smile as she jokingly answered, "I had my eyes closed the entire time."

Eclipsa disintegrated her dark bat, and got ready to leap again, only for her to suddenly find herself unable to lift her left foot. Then being unable to lift her right foot. And by the time she looked down to see her feet frozen, she couldn't move both her legs as well. She then looked at the trail from where the freezing stuff was coming from, and it lead back to someone spreading the freezing material from her fingertips...

Jackie, whose hair was not only wilder and spikier, but sporting light-ish blue highlights, with her fringe having a seagreen tint to it, and her eyes had diluted and turned a different shade of blue.

"You have a lot of nerve to interrupt our fight, little brat," Eclipsa spoke as her upper body was starting to get frozen as well. "Who the hell are you, and what do you want?"

"I'm Jackie Lynn-Thomas, and I'm here to assist Mrs. Diaz," Jackie answered with a venomous tone. "I would ask for your name and what you want, but I get the feeling you'll pull a mewman and start boasting about your race, so I'm going to dodge the question."

Eclipsa smirked as her head started to get frozen. "So, I'll have to deal with both you and this "Mrs. Diaz" you're talking about?"

Jackie nodded, and Angie immediately ran off to Jackie's side as Eclipsa quickly transformed into her shadow form, and escaped the frozen prison, causing the teenager to get back up and prepare to use water, with Angie morphing her shadow arms into blades, and exchanging a nod with Jackie as "Shadow Eclipsa" grew much bigger and stated, with a smug smirk:

"Then so be it!"

 _ **Shortly after that...**_

Marco and Star entered the household through the back door, and walked to the first floor, with Star slowly walking behind Marco as the guy looked forward with a little smile, at least until he stopped and startled the queen by asking, "Something wrong?"

"Uh... no, but... can I ask you something?" Star inquired, earning a confused look from Marco as she added, "Why are you acting so... friendly, with me? At this point, shouldn't you try to kill me or something?"

"I can understand that you would believe I would attack you at a moment's notice, after all, your culture seems to be very battle and war-centric, based on what I read anyway," Marco walked to Star's side and brushed her hair, with the princess giving him an annoyed look as he added, "But you should also understand that you're armed, are part of a very violent species, and to anybody else, they would think you're an intruder."

Star slapped Marco's hand away and hissed, "Don't treat me like a child! I may only be 14, but that doesn't mean you can just treat me like a girl, my presence in this world demands that you treat me like the higher, and you should give me the respect I deserve!"

Marco looked surprised for a moment, but he simply saved his hand on his pocket and shook his head with an amused smile, which made Star take a step back in confusion, and slight worry, as Marco explained thus:

"Star, in this world, nobody demands respect; they work for it. And nobody is born deserving respect, either; They earn said respect. How they earn it depends on the person, but for the most part, respect is something earned in this world, and not given."

Marco leaned towards Star. "Do you understand what I'm trying to say, Star?"

The queen of hearts turned her attention elsewhere. "I'm not from your world."

"That just turns you into a tourist, and besides, learning a bit about the world you're visiting never hurts, you know?" Marco backed away and scratched his head.

Star rolled her eyes, and this roll made her notice one peculiar picture nearby: One that depicted Marco, alongside Jackie, Janna, and Brittney, all posing together. "Who are those girls?"

"They're my girlfriends," Marco casually answered, earning a baffled look from Star as he explained, "The one with the glasses is Janna, the one in the middle looking all cool is Jackie, and the one with the furry headband is Brittney."

"Wait a minute, girlfriends? As in, plural?" Star asked. "You're dating all three of those girls at the same time?"

Marco shrugged. "It's a bit more complicated, but yeah, I guess you could say that."

"Okay then, let me take this moment to give you some advice," Star folded her arms. "You should make sure to pick whichever girl you want to spend the rest of your life with as soon as you can. The longer you try to juggle romantic affection for all of those girls at the same time, the worse the eventual heartbreak will become. So, for both your sake, and the girls' sake as well, you better already have in mind which girl you'll ultimately end up with, okay? And also, try to let down the other girls easy, alright?"

The merchant guy remained a silent and took a deep breath before he stated, shaking his head, "Let me guess; You once dated multiple guys, or maybe girls, and you made the mistake of trying to give affection to all of them at the same time. Eventually, you tried to go for only one, but things went wrong and the other lovers you had were left heartbroken, including yourself. How far off am I?"

Star narrowed her eyes and gritted her teeth, but before she could get any angrier, Marco suddenly asked:

"So, let's change the subject: did you come here with someone else, or are you all alone?"

Star flinched, and twiddled her fingers as she tried to come up with a convincing lie, looking all over the place in the process. "Uh, n-no! O-One of my many tests to become, uh, a better queen is, um, to prove that I can manage interdimensional concerns! Because the Queen of Hearts, which is what I am, works with that kind of stuff! So, yeah, I'm here alone, and that's the reason why!"

" _She's clearly lying through her teeth so hard, I almost feel sorry for her,_ " Marco took a deep breath. "Okay then, I believe you. However, if you're here for interdimensional relationships, what were you doing at the forest?"

"I... got lost?" Star shrugged and put up a nervous smile.

"Well, you've come to the right place, then!" Marco wrapped his arm around Star and brought her forward to the living room. "My parents are a bit busy right now with... whatever the heck they're doing, but I have enough knowledge on how to run a shop that I can act as a suitable replacement! But first, take a look around the merchandise, please."

Star raised an eyebrow, then shrugged it off and started to look through the artifacts inside the pillar. Among them, the severed finger briefly caught her attention, but it was more because it was even there in the first place, rather than her recognizing it came from somewhere in particular. The other objects, like the scissors, skull, and the tiara earned no response.

However, the instant Star saw the horn, she stopped and ran straight towards it.

"A Pony Head horn!" Star exclaimed in disbelief, leaning her face against the glass as she asked, "Where did you even get this?!"

"I didn't: Mom and Dad did," Marco replied, rolling his eyes as he watched the princess eye the horn intently. "They go to expeditions for magical artifacts often, and that was one of the things they found. And hey, if you want to take it with you, you're gonna have to pay it."

"Pay it? You mean to tell me you're effectively selling this thing as if it was some sort of trinket?! It's a horn that belonged to a sentient being, it's not some sort of object you can use on a whim!" Star snapped, with Marco not reacting to her statement at all. "How much are you selling it for anyway?"

"Two hundred dollars," Marco casually answered.

Star covered her mouth and almost screamed in shock, before she regained her composure and growled, "At least the prize befits it's importance. Sadly, I don't have the money to pay it..."

And then, Star got an idea as she lifted the glass and took the horn from it. "I know, how about I take this with me, I go get my money in my home dimension, and then I'll come back here and pay it once I have enough money?"

Marco's smile remained frozen on his face as he walked up to Star, with the queen of hearts standing still and maintaining her smile as she figured Marco just wanted to be up close so she could hear his answer clearly. So, it was pretty shocking for Star to suddenly be on the receiving end of quite a heavy punch from Marco, which sent her flying into a wall.

"Sorry, your majesty, but I just can't accept that offer," Marco smugly stated, walking calmly towards Star as she got up and unsheathed her sword. "You see, considering how _your_ kind sees _my_ kind, I just can't help but wonder if you're trying to trick me into letting you leave, scot-free, with one of the more valuable objects in our stock."

"I would never do that!" Star retorted. "I-I mean, this horn does hold a lot of value to me, but I believe in fairness! Once I get enough money-"

"That won't make a difference, your majesty, our currencies are entirely different," Marco reached Star and leaned down, sporting a condescending smile as he slandered, "And besides, your people are nothing more than brutes and savages who depend on magic to get everything done. I bet, if you had the choice, you'd rather flee with the horn up your ass than try and win it fair and square."

Star narrowed her eyes. "Are you... threatening me?"

"I'm tickling your inner mewman, your majesty," Marco shrugged and shook his head as he walked around Star, speaking with a mocking tone, "The only real way to get a brute or power-hungry tyrant like yourself, is to appeal to their inner nature. Their true nature. Which, in this case, just so happens to take the form of a duel to potential death."

"Um, I think you're confusing my family, the Butterfly family, for the Johanssen family," Star corrected, putting up a stern tone as she added, "And besides, could you please get to the point? I know the rest of the council, specially Eclipsa and her legion, make it seem like mewmans like other species to appease their egos, but that tends to lead to conflicts, and I'd rather avoid those."

"Want me to get to the point? Alright then," Marco stopped in front of Star and narrowed his eyes. "You and I will fight outside, in the backyard. If you win, I'll buy your obvious little lie and wait for you to come back and pay the price of the horn."

Marco leaned forward, and smirked as he stated, "Lose, and I keep the horn. Got it?"

Star narrowed her eyes and sternly stated:

"If that's the only way you're letting me leave with the horn... then so be it."

With that said and done, Marco and Star shook hands to seal the deal, with the pair keeping eye contact on each other for a while before their hands separated. Marco then walked forward to the backyard, glancing at Star with a smug smile as she looked at the horn, clutched it, and followed Marco to the backyard, filled with enough determination to give it her all.

Or at least, the queen hoped that determination would be enough...


	6. Humans Versus Mewmans

**That feeling when you've been updating a story you marked as "complete" a long time ago, but you haven't noticed that until now... XD**

 **Well, this chapter's sure to be one heck of a way to put an end to the introduction arc. Above all else, we're about to see Star and Marco fight. Now keep in mind, one is a member of the matriarchal group that governs all of Mewni, and the other is a mysterious, relatively average, but still highly experience teenager with a couple tricks up his sleeves.**

 **This is gonna be something, alright.**

 **Also, the reason I'm posting this so early is because, not only did I get lucky in managing to finish this freaking chapter quickly, but I hate to leave arcs unresolved, so before I go, here's the end of the introduction arc. Will there be more arcs? Of course, but for now, we'll stop right here.**

 **Also also, 24 favorites, and 25 follows by the end of this arc... I have high hopes for this story now. :)**

 **Anyway, to the reviews:**

 **1) LoudAutomata16: This is the actual end of the introduction arc, though. XD And sure, I'll think about the preview thing in the meantime.**

 **2) Nobody245: Oh okay, got it.**

 *** What Marco said last chapter was meant in a likely joking tone: Not saying Star didn't have boyfriends or girlfriends before-okay, maybe not boyfriends since Star is more into girls-I'm just saying Marco said that stuff to tick off Star.**

 *** Well, it's spiteful between some people. And don't worry, as long as nobody pulls an Eclipsa, no war should start anytime soon.**

 *** In terms of actual plot development, not much. But in terms of building the lore, they will play a significant role.**

 **3) Guest (chapter 4): Marco is Marco.**

 **4) avidreaded (chapter 4): Well, you know what they say: Some things are more than meets the eye.**

 **And now, to the chapter!**

* * *

 _ **The Diaz's Backyard...**_

Star and Marco stood on opposite ends of the backyard, with the Pony Head horn resting inside a glass case on top of a pillar nearby, which Star couldn't help but take notice of.

"Was it really necessary to put the horn in plain view like that?" the Queen of Hearts inquired, pointing at the pillar as she added, "I mean, it's just there in the middle of the battlefield. What if one of us hit it and knock it over?"

"Well then, all you have to do is resist the temptation to try snatch the horn and run away while I'm distracted," Marco chuckled. "After all, that wouldn't be a mewman thing to do now, wouldn't it?"

"Okay, listen, I know you want to make it clear you don't like mewmen, but I think you're going a bit too far now," Star put her hands on her hips. "Let's just get this fight over with!"

Marco smirked and crouched down, before he ran towards Star, taking out a hand from his pocket and clenching it into a fist as Star raised her hands and charged magical spheres. The guy then swing his fist at Star, who jumped just in time to dodge the attack, then combine both magical spheres into one before throwing them at Marco, who narrowly sidestepped the incoming sphere, before being sent blown back onto a tree, only to quickly regain his composure and land on the trunk, allowing him to jump from it and land safely on the ground.

Star landed on the ground soon after, then aimed both her palms at Marco and charged magical energy as she shouted:

"Narwhal Blast!"

From the energy came out a flying narwhal, which flew towards Marco at high speed. However, once again, Marco just sidestepped the attack, with the poor narwhal hitting the tree and bursting into confetti upon contact. Marco ran after Star immediately after, prompting the queen to create a portal using some of her magical energy, before shouting:

"Warnicorn Stampede!"

Aggressive-looking unicorns ran out of the portal, all heading straight for Marco, who just smiled in determination and leaped high in the sky before dropping on top of one of the warnicorns. He then jumped from warnicorn to warnicorn, heading closer to Star as the Queen of Hearts tried to think of something else to do, preferably something that could buy her some time.

And so, she snapped her fingers and the warnicorns disintegrated back into magical portal, which she split into several portals that then went to her side, with similar portals opening close to Marco, who remained up in the sky as he noticed the portals and got ready to counter whatever came from the portals. Star then threw a punch on one of the portals, which came out of one of the portals surrounding Marco, successfully hitting him as Star followed by throwing punches at the remaining portals, with Marco too confused over what was happening to counter efficiently.

However, when one of Star's thrown punches hit Marco in the cheek, the guy caught her arm quickly enough to force her through the same portal, and into the sky with him, with Marco holding Star in front of him as they both fell towards the ground, only for Star to knee him in the gut and turn the tables around, making Marco crash on the ground first while Star's fall was slightly broken by her falling on top of him. And then Marco kicked Star away, then got back up and dusted himself like it was nothing before rushing forward to Star.

The Queen of Hearts, not being deterred by the incoming guy, cracked her knuckles and prepared for Marco's attacks. Once he got close enough, Star dodged some punches and karate chops Marco threw at her, before she countered with an upper punch to the face and a kick to the gut, with Marco grabbing Star's leg just before it hit him, and then swinging Star up in the air before throwing her down, only for Star to use her remaining leg to kick Marco hard enough to make him free her, allowing her to land on her hands, then kick the guy away before she jumped right back on her feet.

Marco quickly stopped and regained his composure soon after, taking the time to let both himself and Star catch her breath... only for him to start chuckling, then outright laugh out loud as Star just... stood there, completely perplexed as to what was happening.

"What's so funny?" Star asked.

"Sorry, your majesty, but I just realized something hilarious; You, one of Mewni's top leaders, can actually fight _without_ using magic!" Marco scoffed as he wiped off a tear and his laughter stopped. "I honestly thought you were going to act like you were completely helpless once I pulled you through one of your portals. But, I'll give you credit where credit's due, you're not as hopelessly dependent on magic as your kind."

Star took a deep breath, folded her arms and closed her eyes, shaking her head in a disappointed manner as Marco raised an eyebrow. "You... aren't going to tell me to take that back?"

"There's no point in trying to make you take back pure fact; Propaganda and stereotypes are slandering nonsense meant to make the target look bad, but when you speak the truth... well, there's nothing anybody can do about it," Star put a hand on her cheek. "Mewmanity as a whole have become obsessed and overly dependent on magic. We don't use it for everything, but the fact it's still so prevalent on even the smallest details... it upsets me."

" _Well, this came out of freaking nowhere,_ " Marco thought, putting up a nervous smile as he added, "Um, s-sorry if I brought back bad memories, I-"

"No, don't worry, It's alright," Star replied, scratching the back of her head as Marco walked towards her, sporting a concerned look. "In fact, I'm actually kind of glad you said that. At least I know there's somebody else who shares my opinion on my people's reliance on magic."

Marco saved his hands on his pockets, and looked around the scenery as he tried to think of something to say. He finally thought of something as soon as he reached Star, but when he tried to speak, the queen interjected:

"Say, sorry for asking this out of nowhere, but could you let me explain why that Pony Head horn is important to me? I know, we're fighting in order to determine if I get to take the horn with me or not, but I don't know, you seem like someone who's a good listener and... I don't really have anybody else I can talk about it with. So, could you let me do that?"

Marco glanced back at the pillar holding the horn, and he turned back to Star, sporting a reassuring smile as he answered:

"Well, if that thing's so important I have to face off against one of the queens of Mewni, then I might as well find out what makes it so important. So, lay it on me. I'm all ears."

Star smiled, and she and Marco sat near the horn's pillar as Star started to explain the importance of the horn.

 ** _At the Castle of Mewni, in Omnitraxus' room..._**

The Magic High Commission watched what was happening on Earth, with their focus only diverting when Moon and Meteora barged into the room.

"Guys, we came here as soon as possible!" Meteora remarked as she and Moon caught their breath. "What's wrong?!"

Hekapoo and Rhombulus exchanged looks before sighing and stating, "See for yourselves."

The queens moved closer to the screen, and first saw Eclipsa's fight with Angie and Jackie, before it switched to show Star talking with Marco.

"We need to go there immediately!" Moon stated, clenching her fists.

"I'm not so sure that's a good idea, Moon," Meteora remarked, scratching her chin as she thought about the situation. "I mean, I know taking Star and Eclipsa out of that dimension as soon as possible is the best action to take, but the natives of that dimension-"

Moon raised an eyebrow. "The maginuchs?"

Meteora, and the Magic High Commission, threw angry looks at Moon, prompting the Queen of Diamonds to hastily correct herself, "I mean, humans?"

"Yes, them," Meteora stated, turning back to the screen as Omnitraxus then changed focus to that of Eclipsa, who was still fighting Angie and Jackie. "They've already been agitated and are probably seriously terrified over the fact that two of Mewni's highest authority are attacking them, with Mom clearly being the one causing the most ruckus."

"Classic Eclipsa, mucking everything up," Rhombulus remarked, folding his arms as he looked at Eclipsa with disdain. "I should've put my mark on her when I still had the chance! Sure, that would mean she muck things up in Mewni, and only in Mewni, rather than the other dimensions... and now that I said that, maybe it's a good idea that I didn't put the mark on her."

A bleat was heard nearby, and everybody turned around to see Lekmet enter the room, holding the same book he held before during the meeting.

"Hi Lekmet, I was starting to wonder where you were," Rhombulus said as the goat chairman walked to the queens. "But, why do you say they should go immediately?"

Lekmet bleated as he opened the book on a pop-up page, depicting some sort of war between the past council of queens, consisting of a younger Moon, Skywynne, Meteora, Cresenta, and Celena, facing off against some sort of large group of people, lead by Mina Loveberry. Oddly enough, Solaria was also depicted, but _not_ alongside the queens...

"The Loveberry Revolution?" Omnitraxus asked, earning a nod from Lekmet as Moon and Meteora looked at the picture with horror. "What does that have to do with this?"

"Are you seriously that forgetful, Omnitraxus?!" Meteora snapped at the sentient galaxy. "Remember how this revolution started in the first place: The humans and mewmen living in Mewni became outraged when it was made public that..."

Meteora hesitated, and looked at the ground as she somberly finished, "Festivia perished."

"And Mina was the most outraged about it, to the point she gathered mewmen and humans alike that shared her rage, and launched an attack on the capital that ended with the loss of Celena, the exile of Mina, and several other unpleasant things," Moon added, scratching her chin as she thought about it. "If Star and Eclipsa were to do something incredibly outrageous in that dimension, we could wind up with a similar revolution at our hands yet again."

Lekmet bleated as he closed the book, and Rhombulus translated, "Lekmet says that you should go right now."

"And if you're willing to take suggestions, take out Eclipsa first," Hekapoo added with a stern tone. "Star might be a bit of a mess, but Eclipsa's on an entirely different level."

"That's exactly what I was going to suggest, actually," Meteora remarked as Hekapoo opened a portal.

"Great minds think alike," Hekapoo threw a wink at Hekapoo's direction. "Now come on, you gotta go to Earth."

Moon and Meteora nodded, and the former leaped through the portal, while the latter went closer to it, before turning back to Hekapoo saying, "Hekapoo, before I go, I'd just like to apologize for-"

Hekapoo closed Meteora's mouth, and gave her a reassuring look with an understanding smile, with Meteora returning the smile before she leaped through the portal, which closed moments afterwards as the commission decided to continue watching Eclipsa's fight through the screen.

 ** _Eclipsa Versus Angie and Jackie..._**

The Queen of Nothingness summoned a fist of darkness from the ground and tried to pummel the girls, but Jackie simply stomped the ground, sprouting large icicles from the ground and towards the fist, with it dissipating as soon as the icicles pierced.

Eclipsa waved her hand and flinched for a moment, allowing Angie to rush in and try to punch some sense into the invading queen. She threw a couple punches, but while the first few hit, Eclipsa managed to block one of her fists, before blocking another one, and she kept the brawl on a standstill as she mockingly expressed:

"We both know that this fight is pointless: The things that I'm looking for are in this dimension somewhere, and if you don't tell me where they are-"

"What makes you think I know where your damn fragments are!?" Angie snapped, slowly started overpowering Eclipsa. "Listen, I don't care how important those things are to you: Either you leave my family alone-"

Eclipsa raised an eyebrow. "Family?"

The Queen of Nothingness morphed into a sentient shadow and swiftly moved towards Jackie, while Angie almost fell face-first on the ground.

"Is this one of your children?" Eclipsa asked as she took a closer look at Jackie. "She doesn't look like you at all, is she some sort of bastard?"

Jackie immediately covered her arms in ice and threw a couple punches at Eclipsa, some at the face, which was hard enough to knock off a teeth, and one to the gut, before following with another hook to the head, which Eclipsa narrowly dodged.

"Consider that button pushed!" Eclipsa scoffed as she went behind Jackie and held her in a nelson hold. "Hey, maginuch woman!"

Angie regained her balance and turned around to see Eclipsa morph her arm into a scythe, which she aimed close to Jackie's neck.

"Since you refuse to cooperate normally, I'll give you an ultimatum: Tell me where the fragments are, or your bastard child dies!" the Queen of Nothingness narrowed her eyes. "What do you say about that?"

Parts of Angie's skin turned completely dark as she was surrounded by a purple aura.

"I say..."

Mrs. Diaz stomped the ground, and a shadow pillar sprouted from underneath Eclipsa, which created a giant shadow hand that restrained Eclipsa and held her up in a way that allowed Jackie to escape Eclipsa's grasp, and duck down before the hand threw Eclipsa towards Angie, who cracked her knuckles as she growled:

"I'm going to paint this damn place in your blood!"

 _ **Back with Star and Marco...**_

Marco continued to listen to Star as she continued to talk about her history with this Pony Head entity.

"Pony Head was one of my best friends. She was one of the first warnicorns my mother and the rest of the council, not the current one but one of the past versions of them, used her to ride onwards to battle."

Star looked at the ground somberly.

"However, she was decapitated by an enemy soldier soon after. The queen that rode her managed to live for some years, of course, but the deed was still done."

"Geez, I'm... sorry to hear that," Marco remarked, only to realize something. "Wait, how could you befriend a horse if she was decapitated?"

"Allow me to explain: You take the head of a unicorn or warnicorn or whatever, infuse with magic, and boom, good as new, if not better," Star hastily explained, twiddling her fingers as she continued, "Once she was resurrected, we hung out frequently: Learning how to do magic without a wand, being bold and daring whenever we could, messing around with monsters-"

Marco raised a concerned eyebrow. "What do you mean by "messing around with monsters"?"

"Well, I'm not surprised you ask, since Celena did get rid of most of the monsters in Mewni, but some still remain. Anyway, what we did to them was nothing special: Driving them away from my establishments, making sure they didn't steal any of my prized possessions, drive away any monsters that become too much of a pest, stuff like that," Star patted Marco's back. "But, you have nothing to worry about, the council always made sure to leave any nearby magi-I mean, humans, alone."

Suddenly, Marco grabbed Star's hand and tightly grabbed it, keeping a tight hold on the queen's hand as he threw an angry look at her and snapped, "So, it's because of you that Earth has a huge population of monsters?!"

"W-What are you talking about?!" Star exclaimed as she smacked Marco's hand, with little effect. "The monsters are simply thrown through portals to other dimensions, the Earth isn't the designated target for them! And besides, I'm talking about stuff that happened in the past!"

Marco narrowed his eyes. "Is what you do to them in the present any different?"

The Queen of Hearts hesitated, taking a moment to brace for the ensuing response, after her answer: "No, nothing's cha-"

A sharp pain rose in Star's hand as Marco gripped it even harder, holding a tight hold on it as he spun around once and then sent Star flying off to the opposite end of the backyard, only for the Queen of Hearts to regain her balance soon afterwards.

Star narrowed her eyes, then charged a fist with magic before leaning back and shouting:

"Rainbow Fist Punch!"

Star took a step forward and threw her punch, releasing a stream of solid rainbow that ended with a fist headed directly towards Marco. However, rather than freak out at the attack, Marco punched the fist just as it was about to hit him, causing it to shatter to pieces as he stated:

"And of course you go right back to using magic, don't you, princess?"

The Queen of Hearts didn't acknowledge the question, and instead put both her palms forward and charged yellow magic before shouting:

"Stardust Daisy Devastation!"

This caused an energy beam of daisies to come out of Star's palms, although Marco just slightly slid away to dodge the attack, giving him the chance to run after Star while the attack was still on-going. As soon as it ended and Star noticed Marco rushing towards her, getting ready to throw a punch at her. However, Star quickly tried to counter by kicking Marco in the face, but the guy simply ducked, then uppercut the princess, who quickly regained her composure and headbutt him, though this mostly got her hurt, rather than Marco.

And then, as she caught her breath, Star heard Marco ask:

"Well?"

Star looked up to see an exasperated Marco glaring at her.

"When are you going to fight at your full power?" the guy put his hands on his hips. "Look, I know there has to be some trick you're hiding up your sleeves. I said I wasn't going to hold back anymore, so it's only fair you do the same."

The Queen of Hearts dusted herself. "I do have something else up my sleeve... but I'm really worried it might overwhelm you."

Marco shook his head in disappointed. "In that case."

The guy walked to the pillar holding the horn, lifted the glass, and took the horn as he stated, "I guess I'll count this as a win on my part and keep the horn. What do you have to say about that, your majesty?"

Immediately angered at the statement, Star took a deep breath. "I say..."

The Queen of Hearts raised her arms and shouted:

"Butterfly Cocoon!"

Star was enveloped inside a sphere of pink energy, which morphed to look more and more like a cocoon as Star curled up inside it, her silhouette revealing her slow transformation as Marco watched the show, putting the horn back in it's place in the process. After waiting for a couple more minutes, the sphere holding Star slowly cracked, then burst into a stream of confetti and fireworks as Star flew out of the coccoon, revealing her Butterfly form.

Star's hair had gained a slight orange-ish tint to it, her eyes, though remaining normal, had changed color from blue to red, and she had gained two more sets of arms, with her opera gloves now colored a sharp red. The upper part of her dress remained the same except for an equally vibrant red color change, but her lower half now part in the middle to reveal her legs, and from the heart in her torso sprouted pink ribbons that circled around the queen. And most importantly, from Star's back sprouted a pair of large pink wings, with membranes that formed a heart shape in the middle before spreading all over them.

"Whoa, neat! Is that the Butterfly form spoken of in legends?" Marco remarked as Star flew down. "I'm gonna be honest, your majesty, it looks as cool as I imagined. Also kinda goofy, but still pretty cool."

Star smiled and blushed at the compliment, but she quickly shook it off and charged some magic energy before shouting:

"Shooting Star Explosion!"

From her six palms came several bursts of shooting stars, all headed at Marco, who smiled with confidence as he got ready to dodge the incoming stars. However, as soon as he sidestepped one of the stars, he got a nasty surprise when the shooting star hit the ground, and exploded upon contact, sending him flying onwards to the remaining shooting stars.

Not that he minded, as Marco smiled as he jumped from projectile to projectile, getting higher and higher after each explosion until he was as high up as Star, where he clasped his hands and tried to pummel Star downward, only for the ascended queen to block the attack with her upper set of arms, and grab Marco in a bridal carry with her lower set.

"So, what do you think?" Star asked as Marco grabbed her cheeks. "Is this enough strength, or should I dial it back a-"

Before she could even finish, however, Marco headbutted the queen hard enough to make her flinch and recoil back, releasing the boy as she covered her face and briefly shrieked in pain. Star took a moment to take several deep breaths, flying wobbily through the sky as she felt a little itching pain on her nose, which fortunately faded away soon afterwards.

Once she uncovered her face, Star took a look at her surroundings and quickly spotted Marco on the ground, dusting himself as if nothing happened. Not only that, but she also noticed that Marco's sole open eye was no longer brown, but yellow, which immediately reminded her of the common monster eye.

"H-Hey, wasn't your eye brown before?!" Star exclaimed, only to get a disturbing idea. "Are... are you some sort of monster in disguise?"

Marco, apparently having the ability to hear the queen from that high up, shook his head and chuckled before speaking: "What even is a monster? Like, really, what can be classified as a monster, and as a non-monster? As far as anybody knows, to you and the rest of your kind, a "monster" is simply anything that is different from you, anything that you consider inferior to you, and most importantly, anything that you're afraid of!"

Star gritted her teeth as Marco continued, "By the way, if you're wondering why I headbutt you, well, I once read something about how a mewman's resistance is determined by the amount of magic the use, unlike human and monsters, whose resistance stays the same. Basically, the more magic used, the weaker your body becomes. And since the Butterfly form is a mewman using all of their available magic..."

Just then, a little bit of blood went down from Star's head to her chin, with the queen only checking to see the blood when Marco whistled, and was joined by a familiar face: Nachos the Dragoncycle, who flew down and allowed Marco to sit on their seat as Star processed the sudden development. And she only returned to reality once Marco drove towards her and shouted.

"One more hit should be enough to take you down!"

 _ **Meteora and Moon...**_

The queens came out of a portal on the sky, and Meteora landed on the ground, while Moon landed on top of a tree nearby the Diaz household, more specifically on a couple of conveniently placed tree branches.

"Ugh, we both fell through the tree, why was I the only one to get stuck?!" Moon complained as she tried to free herself from the branches. "I seriously need to talk with Hekapoo about where her portals-"

Suddenly, the branches, and Moon landed right on Meteora's arms. "Don't worry, I'll talk with Hekapoo about it. But for now, let's just see if we can find where mom and Star are."

Just then, the duo heard Star's screaming nearby, and they looked up to see Star flying away from a Nachos-riding Marco, shooting magic energy blasts at the rider as the dragoncycle shot some fireballs in return. And that wasn't all, since they also heard Eclipsa fighting nearby, and they turned around to see the dark queen both receiving and delivering a beating to Jackie and Angie.

"Well, that was easier than I expected," Moon got off Meteora's arms and dusted herself. "You go deal with Eclipsa, and I'll go deal with Star. Once we got them, we'll reunite back here, got it?"

The hybrid queen nodded, and the pair separated to go get their fellow queens. First, Meteora hid behind some bushes and formulated a plan as she watched her mother's continued fight with the water and darkness user.

Just then, Mrs. Diaz's phone rang, and despite the frantic fighting going on, Angie still found the time to reach for her pocket and take out her phone, where she read the message she just got... from her husband:

"Close your eyes!"

Just then, Jackie was sent flying towards Angie, and the duo crash landed a couple feet away, with Eclipsa getting ready to lunge at the duo as Angie managed to catch a glimpse of Rafael getting ready to throw something. Mrs. Diaz immediately covered Jackie's eyes and closed her own before Mr. Diaz threw the object he held towards Eclipsa, with it "Exploding" in a shower of light that sent Eclipsa off-course, with the blinding light ceasing after she crashed on some trees.

"Angie! Jackie!" Mr. Diaz exclaimed as he ran to his wife and the hydrokinetic teenager. "Are you two okay?"

"Yeah, now we are," Jackie answered as she and the woman stood up and dusted themselves. "But that lady is a complete lunatic! I swear, if you hadn't thrown that thing, or if it had missed, she might've killed us!"

"Honestly, I don't think she would've done it, she seems like the type to only kill people who she feel pose a threat to her, but on the whole lunatic thing, yeah, that's pretty much fact," Angie folded her arms. "What did you throw at her, by the way?"

Rafael reached for his back and pulled out a grenade. "Just a simple light grenade: Once these things hit something after taking out their triggers, they'll blind anybody whose eyes are still open during the explosion! And it'll also leave them blinded for a moment, so the fight should be more even now, if it continues that is."

"I'm glad to see you're as dependable as ever when it comes to resourcefulness, honey," Angie scratched her chin. "How did you know we needed help, though?"

Just then, the spot where Eclipsa crashed practically blew up as a pillar of darkness sprouted from the ground and engulfed the surrounding forest, before a silhouette inside it spread her arms, shattering the pillar into pieces as the figure revealed herself to be Eclipsa, whose pupils looked light blue as she caught her breath and took a look around to see her field of vision, despite showing the scenery just fine, was heavily overshadowed by a light blue... filter? tint? Whatever it was, it prevented Eclipsa from seeing where Angie and Jackie were, which made her anger surge as she surrounded herself in a dark purple aura, which she then manifested into a fist before she shot it at the duo.

However, just then, Meteora leaped out of her hiding spot and literally smacked the aura right back at Eclipsa, who just snapped her fingers, somehow causing the fist to merge back into her aura moments before it clashed with her.

"Who are you?" Jackied inquired.

"I'm an ally, that's all you need to know," Meteora stated. "Listen up, I'm going to keep her busy while you two charge up some sort of attack. An energy beam, a bat, it doesn't matter what it is, just make sure you charge it with as much power as possible!"

"I'll help you," Rafael stated as he walked to the Queen of Clubs' side. "That blinding grenade won't last forever, after all. And trust me, the longer she stays "blinded," the easier it'll be to keep her in line."

"Normally, I wouldn't want you to get involved, for your own safety, but considering who I'm dealing with, I'm going to need as much help as I can," Meteora sighed. "Besides, you look like someone who can take care of himself. Let me handle the physical approach, and give me support from the sidelines, alright?"

Rafael nodded, and he and the Queen of Clubs rushed forward to keep Eclipsa occupied, while Mrs. Diaz watched them both with a stern glare, her left eye twitching as Jackie tried to catch her attention until she snapped her fingers, bringing the woman back to reality.

"Come on, Shadow Mom, that woman won't be busy forever," Jackie remarked. "So please, don't start getting jealous all of a sudden."

"I'm not jealous!" Angie retorted. "Just because Rafael's going to fight alongside a big, muscular, well-toned woman like that-"

"Okay, I'm gonna pull a Janna and suggest you're not so much jealous as you envy Mr. Diaz," Jackie scoffed, earning an angry look from Mrs. Diaz. "But whatever, let's charge our attack while we still got thee chance, alright?"

The woman sighed and nodded. "Got any ideas?"

Jackie smiled widely and nodded excitedly...

 _ **Star Versus Marco...**_

The battle in the skies continued as Star charged a sphere of magical energy before shouting:

"Rainbow Blast!"

An energy blast made of rainbows came out of the sphere, but Marco just exchanged looks with Nachos and held a determined grin as the dragoncycle charged up some fire in its mouth, before shooting a fire beam at the rainbow blast, with both blasts remaining equal in power as Star and Marco took the chance to talk:

"Listen, I'm going to assume that I may have said something that made you upset, and that's why you decided to kick it up a notch with this fight!" Star exclaimed, feeling her arms growing tired. "Look, whatever I said, I'm sorry, okay? Let's just go back to the ground and talk about this!"

"I'm sorry, your majesty, but it's far too late for that!" Marco hissed, narrowing his eyes as he pulled Nachos' pedals, somehow powering up their fire beam. "You and the rest of your kind think you can treat both us and the monsters however you please, without facing any consequences! Well, it's time for that to change!"

Moon arrived at the scene of the airborne duel, where she immediately aimed her fingers-which were made to look like a gun-at the dragoncycle before charging some energy into them. As for Star, seeing she was slowly being overpowered, the Queen of Hearts got an idea and thought:

" _Hekapoo, I'm going to borrow your technique!_ "

Star stopped firing her rainbow blast, and split apart into several identical clones of herself, dodging the fire beam and confusing Marco and Nachos as they glanced at the several Stars, who immediately flew towards the rider and dragoncycle, forcing them to shoot the stars at random.

And while they did hit some of them, all but one of them just blew up into confetti, leaving the last one to reach for Marco... and seemingly fly past him without doing anything. That is, until Marco checked himself and noticed he was missing something.

Star took out the Pony Head horn from her back and asked, "Looking for this?"

Just as Marco and Nachos noticed the horn, Moon shot her magic energy blast at Nachos, hitting its wings and causing it to fall, but not before shooting another fireball at Star, burning off one pair of her wings and sending her plummeting down as well.

 _ **Eclipsa Versus Basically Everybody...**_

The Queen of Nothingness summoned a pair of giant darkness fists from the ground and tried to smack Mr. Diaz and Meteora as Angie maintained a giant shadow fist behind her, which Jackie slowly froze as Mrs. Diaz watched the fight from the distance, trying to keep her cool as the more the shadow fist was frozen, the heavier it felt.

"Jackie, you know I'm only as strong as a normal human, right?" Angie pointed out as the arm she used to hold the frozen shadow fist started shivering. "How will I send this punch at that Mewman's face?!"

"Don't worry about it, Mrs. Diaz," Jackie summoned an ice hammer and smiled. "I got that covered too!"

Speaking of Eclipsa, the Queen of Spades continued throwing shadow punches at her daughter and Mr. Diaz, growling like a wild animal as she continued trying to punch them left and right, though the duo didn't seem that concerned.

"Why isn't she throwing any spells at us?" Rafael inquired. "I mean, I'm not complaining, but it's still rather weird."

"She's probably too pissed off to think about doing that," Meteora glanced back at Angie and Jackie. "Anyhow, those two should be finished by now. Let's put an end to this!"

Rafael nodded and immediately ran towards the Queen of Spades, who clenched her teeth before throwing a barrage of shadow punches at the man.

However, Mr. Diaz dodged the incoming fists and grabbed Eclipsa's shoulder, the Queen of Spades barely noticing this before Rafael threw her straight towards Meteora, who promptly kicked her so hard, it sent her straight towards Angie and Jackie, with the latter smacking the frozen shadow fist with her ice hammer, helping the former punch Eclipsa with the fist, shattering it to pieces and sending Eclipsa right into Meteora's arms.

With that done, Angie grabbed the arm she used to hold the fist as she and Jackie reunited with Mr. Diaz and Meteora, who all watched as Eclipsa fell unconscious in her daughter's arms.

"Is she gonna be okay?" Mr. Diaz asked, poking the unconscious woman.

"Don't worry, she's been through worse punishments, she'll be fine in an hour or two," Meteora answered casually, before looking elsewhere and sighing, "And before I leave, I would like to apologize for the mess my mother caused-"

Naturally, the last statement was a shocker to the team, "She's your mother?!"

Meteora casually nodded, prompting the "maginuchs" to glance back and forth between her and the unconscious Eclipsa.

"Are you sure it's not the other way around?" Angie nervously asked.

"I know I look much older than my mom," Meteora sighed. "However, there's an explanation for it-"

Suddenly, an explosion was heard from far away, and as soon as she heard Marco's scream coming from the same direction, Angie tried to run after it, before being stopped by her husband. "Angie, you need to cover your arms! The more you leave them exposed, the faster the magic will corrupt you!"

"But Marco's in danger!" Angie snapped as Jackie joined Mr. Diaz's attempt at restraining the woman. "Somebody has to go help him!"

"I'll go!" Meteora stated. "If there are any other mewmen here, I'll take them back to Mewni, whether they like it or not."

Mr. Diaz and Jackie nodded and Meteora leaped off towards the site of the explosion, Mrs. Diaz looking sternly at her as she was taken inside to cover her arms. As for Meteora? All she was hoping was for Star to not do something that could make the situation even worse.

 _ **After the Crash...**_

Star caught her breath as she stood up, almost falling down again after the pain of her burned wing started acting up. However, she did manage to stay composed long enough to look around, and quickly spot the scene of Marco tending and comforting the dragoncycle.

"You did good, Nachos, but you need to go back and rest so your wings can regenerate. Don't worry about me."

Marco glared at Star. "I'll take things from here."

The dragoncycle nodded knowingly and drove off as Marco stood up, dusted himself, and walked towards the injured Queen as if nothing happened. This immediately prompted Star to aim her arm at the guy, which failed to deter him until he looked down and saw a red sphere being enveloped around his current spot.

The red sphere slowly enclosed itself around the spot, with Marco barely getting to glare at the transformed Queen of Hearts before he was fully trapped inside. Once the sphere was complete, Marco's silhouette appeared inside, where Star saw as Marco... stood inside, glaring at her from within the magical prison, before he clenched his fists, then started to say something inaudible, since the sphere also seemed to block sound.

And at this sight, Star hesitated. This guy approached her when she was alone, remained friendly as he took her to his house, or some semblance to it, and he was even willing to put their fight on hold to hear her out on how the horn was important.

Just like how Star didn't seem to act like the typical Mewman, Marco didn't seem to act like the typical monster, at least by mewman propaganda standards.

But then, a particular sight reminded Star about Marco's monster connection: The guy turned to look back at Star, only this time, he not only opened his eyes to reveal he now had four of them, but they had slit-shaped pupils, and yellow sclera. Upon seeing this, Star shook her head and yelled:

"Emotion Supernova!"

Star squeezed her hand, and the sphere started to break apart as Marco looked around the destabilizing prison, before it showered it's interior with space-like... magic, or something, with Marco shrieking in pain as he was ambushed by the attack. However, his shriek was interesting: While the main shriek sounded human, there was a secondary, subtler shriek that sounded monstrous and out-of-this-world, even by supernatural standards.

This was all followed by the sphere exploding, with a red smoke cloud taking it's place as Star landed on the ground and caught her breath, making sure to maintain her Butterfly form for a little longer just in case someone else came along to attack her, or even Marco did that, assuming he was still alive.

And if he wasn't alive... oh boy...

"Star!"

The Queen of Hearts winced and turned around to see her mother, Moon, run after her, though she was too tired to call out her name.

"Star, what did you do?!" Moon snapped, pointing at the supernova's aftermath.

Star stomped the ground. "I had to do it, okay?! The guy wasn't willing to let me go otherwise!"

"But did you have to go as far as to try and kill him!?" Moon rubbed her forehead. "It's reckless behavior like this that caused the same conflicts and wars that rendered Mewni into it's current, wretched state, Star! How do you think the maginuchs-"

Star narrowed her eyes. "Humans."

"Now's not the time to correct my grammar, Star!" Moon snapped before slapping Star hard enough to leave a handprint on her cheek. "Listen, the only reason you and Eclipsa came here was to get the fragments! If you didn't get them here, then the least you could do is leave!"

"I know, but I found something incredibly important to me, and I couldn't just leave it here!" Star responded. "B-Besides, that guy was pretty tough! I'm pretty sure he's still alive!"

"Star, you trapped that guy inside a magical barrier, that can only be broken by a fellow queen or an equally powerful enemy, and then you showered him with a magical rain or whatever, that made the dang sphere blow up!" Moon sternly pointed out. "Even if he isn't dead, he's most likely so injured that it'll take him weeks to recover!"

Just then, Marco's silhouette rose from the ground up, and Star exchanged worried looks with Moon before she swallowed her fears and approached the boy, only for her mother to grab her arm. "Star, this isn't a good-"

Star sternly freed herself from moon's grasp. "I know what I'm doing, Moon!"

The Queen of Diamonds put up a neutral, yet concerned look, and backed away as Star continued to walk towards the sillouethe, even to the point that she extended a hand towards Marco once she was close enough. However, once Marco noticed her, he immediately punched her in the face so hard, so not only did he send her crashing onto some rocks, but Star reverted back to her base form as Marco walked out of the cloud to reveal something disturbing:

Instead of having an actual eye, Marco's sole working eye had turned pitch black.

Once she managed to get back up, Star's heart skipped a beat when the first thing she saw upon opening her eyes was the furious Marco rushing towards her, prompting her to aim her palm at him as she stuttered:

"S-S-S-S-Sunshine Friendship Spell!"

Star shot a stream of white magic energy at the furious Marco, who simply smacked it away with a karate chop off into the distance before leaping straight for Star, shrieking like a wild beast before a magic energy blast with... sparkly diamonds struck him, sending him back to the crater and seemingly rendering him unconscious after trying, and failing, to get back up.

The Queen of Hearts turned to look at the source of the spell that knocked out the boy, this being her mother Moon, who immediately ran to her side and helped her get back up as she caught her breath. "Star, are you okay?"

"I... I think so..." Star calmed down and looked at the unconscious Marco. "Is he-"

"Yes, he's still alive. I only hit him with enough force to knock him out," Moon grabbed Star and lifted her in a bridal carry. "He's going to remember everything that happened once he wakes up, though, so we should hide until Meteora recovers Eclipsa-"

"Done."

The mother-daughter pair turned around to see Meteora jump to them, still holding her unconscious mother on her arms. However, despite also noticing the unconscious Marco, she knew there wasn't any time to waste, so she shouted to the skies:

"Beam us up, Hekapoo!"

A red portal opened above the queens, and they all leaped through it and went back to Mewni, with Star taking a quick look at the unconscious Marco before jumped through. And just in time too, since Marco's parents, Brittney, Janna, and Jackie arrived right then and ran to Marco's side.

"Marco!" Mrs. Diaz exclaimed as she and her husband helped their child get up. "Are you okay?!"

The injured guy just took several deep breaths before asking, "Safe?"

Everybody raised an eyebrow, and Marco continued, "Friends... Safe?"

"Yes, Marco, we're all safe," Janna answered as she wrapped her arm around Brittney's shoulder. "Brittney and I remained inside like you told us, and Jackie helped your parents deal with the other intruder."

Marco looked up, revealing his pitch black eye as he said, with a relieved look and smile, "Glad."

The girls flinched and Brittney screamed while Janna pointed at Marco and shouted, "What the hell happened?!"

"T-That doesn't matter!" Mr. Diaz stated. "Don't worry, son, we'll go look for help right now."

Marco's smile turned into a nervous frown. He shivered and looked at the girls, blurting, "Help?"

"Yes, Marco," Jackie said as she and the rest of the girls continued to pat the boy, "We'll go look for help to fix your... problem."

The disturbed teen tilted his head. "Who?"

Mr. and Mrs. Diaz exchanged concerned looks, then exchanged similar looks with the girls, with Marco just looking at everybody, fearing for their response. Moments later, the group walked to the city square, where they reached a large tower of sorts, whose mere size made it look like it was piercing the skies.

Not having time to waste, the team went inside, and headed to some portals on the wall, with only one of them catching their interest: One depicting some head obscured in shadow, with four eyes open. So they jumped through the portal, and landed on a massive room, housing a giant creature shrouded in shadows, which stood up as the group approached them.

"We're sorry to disturb you so late in the night," Rafael spoke to the shadowed behemoth. "But we need your help."

The figure let out a titanic yawn that echoed across the building, before opening four yellow, glowing eyes with slit-like pupils. These same eyes turned to look down at the humans, who proceeded to reveal the shivering Marco to the behemoth.

Marco looked up at the giant with his normal and pitch black eye, and once they shared silent gazes at each other, the figure turned to look at Mr. and Mrs. Diaz and stated:

"I can help... but first... what happened?"


	7. Mina's Interrogation

**Hi everybody! I come today with a rather short chapter, because, let's be honest, after the big bombastic fight we had last chapter, the most logical next step is something shorter, and much more calm in comparison.**

 **So of course it has to be filled with lore and background details to compensate for it! But what those details are? You'll have to read yourself to find out.**

 **Also, this will possibly be the last chapter for a while. Just saying.**

 **But now, to the reviews!:**

 **1) LoudAutomata16: And the Harry Potter references grow stronger.**

 *** I will come back to it eventually, but remember: Magic hurts everyone.**

 *** I can't wait to figure out what the next arc will be, either. XD**

 **2) Nobody245:**

 *** They're the same in the sense they have the same classification as hybrids, but they're different people, and different type of hybrids to boot.**

 *** Yes, she took it, but seeing how Marco and the others aren't going to forget what happened anytime soon, I think her "victory" was more on the double-edge or phyrric side of things.**

 *** Can't say for certain: Considering how both sides see each other, and what literally just happened, there's no telling who'll attack next.**

 **3) animehero1000: Nobody really won, but since Marco already has enough on his plate, let's give him a bone and say he did win. And yes, he did something "magical" indeed.**

 **4) allen Vth (all previous chapters): Thanks for reading the story up to this point!**

 **5) Guest: Who?**

 **And now, to the chapter!**

* * *

The sun rose high in Echo Creek, the sunlight filtering into the various homes of the denizens, including the Diaz Household. It first entered in Marco's bedroom, where the guy himself wasn't around, but Janna, Jackie, and Brittney were around, the latter sleeping on a futon nearby while the former two were on Marco's bed, struggling with each other to remain on the bed.

"Okay, we slept together on Marco's bed," Janna spoke as she tried to push Jackie off. "Now get out of here and let me get my extra hour of sleep!"

"No, you get out of here!" Jackie retorted, trying to push Janna back. "Who knows what weird thing you'll do to his bed, just to scare him when he gets back home! Now get off his bed!"

"You honestly think I would prank or scare him after what happened yesterday?! Even I have my limits!" Janna growled. "And besides, what makes you think you're entitled to stay on his bed, but not me?!"

Jackie scoffed, " _I_ was the first girl he had a crush on!"

Janna gritted her teeth. "Well, _I_ was the first girl that comforted him after his first day in school!"

"Girls, ease up, you're both pretty, okay?" Alfonzo spoke from within Janna's grimoire, which laid on a desk nearby. "How about you two leave the petty argument behind and just sleep together like you did before?"

"Stay out of this!" Jackie and Janna yelled at the grimoire in unison.

While that happened, Mrs. Diaz watched the trio through the door's keyhole while her husband stood nearby, waiting for her to finish. "Are the girls still asleep?"

"Brittney's asleep, and Jackie and Janna are fighting over who gets to sleep in Marco's bed, but I'm sure they'll go to sleep eventually," Angie turned back to Rafael and took a deep breath. "Let's go check up on Mina and see if we can squeeze any information out of her."

"Before we go, how are your arms doing?" Mr. Diaz asked, getting his wife's attention. "You did spend quite a lot of time with them uncovered, do you think the corruption got worse?"

Angie looked at her bandaged arm and gripped it for a moment, before she shook it off and stated, "I'm fine, the corruption hasn't spread. Let's just focus on interrogating Mina, okay?"

Rafael took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay."

 _ **The guest room...**_

The parents entered the guest room, and found Mina was just waking up, letting out a long yawn as her blurry vision slowly turned clear, and revealed her both the room and the parents looking at her. However, rather than be scarred or worried, Mina was more along the lines of... confused.

"What happened?" Mina took a quick look around. "Where am I?"

"You're in our guest room. We managed to knock you out using a spear that had some sleeping material embedded in it," Mrs. Diaz pointed at her husband. "I then had my husband take you to the guest room, where you slept through the entire night. You were just supposed to stay asleep for a couple minutes, though, so you're either a heavy sleeper, or the hit was stronger than we thought."

Mina hummed to herself, then look around, quickly spotting the absence of a particular person. So of course, Mina had to ask, "Where's Marco?"

"He faced off against one of the intruders, and... well, he wound up with half his soul "broken," in a sense," Mr. Diaz frowned. "The only eye he could open was completely pitch black, and he couldn't even form full sentences!"

"I see," Mina folded her arms. "Where is he now?"

"We went to the dungeons, and to the highest level to ask for assistance from the only person who can heal his soul," Rafael answered, scratching the back of his head as he added, "But the process could take an entire day, so he remained back there."

"But enough about Marco," Mrs. Diaz spoke with a stern tone. "We brought you here because we want you to give us some answers. Like, for example, how do you know about Ubaldo?"

"I have a second job working as the "caretaker" of the "boss monsters" in the dungeon; Give them tips to improve their performances, help them keep the aritificial monsters in check, giving them therapy after each battle, stuff like that," Mina folded her arms. "And each and every boss monster, besides those from level 80 to above, sometimes pass the time by telling ghost stories about Ubaldo, "The Monster Killer" as he calls himself."

The parents exchanged worried looks as Mina continued:

"They speak about how his laughter can make the weaker monsters fear for their life, and how even the high-level monsters steady their guard when they hear it. They say how he has some sort of ponytail that's actually a bunch of tentacles wrapped together, and when he's angered or triggered into attacking, he uses those same tentacles to suck the very magic or life out of the artificial monsters around the dungeon, or even the boss or sentient monsters if they get on his bad side."

Angie narrowed her eyes. "And have you ever seen Ubaldo in action?"

Mina sighed. "I can't give you the answers you seek."

"Ugh, typical mewman," Angie rubbed her forehead. "Keeping the truth to themselves, even when they know that's the worst option they could go with-"

"No, I mean I literally can't give you the answers you seek," Mina narrowed her eyes. "What I know is limited: Wanna know what the fragments are? Why are they important? Some random Mewman culture fact, that I can answer. But everything besides that draws a complete blank in my mind."

The parents exchanged looks, then nodded before Angie turned back to Mina and sternly asked:

"Okay, answer us this: If you're a mewman, what are you doing on Earth?"

Mina and Mr. Diaz flinched, with the former closing her eyes and shaking her head as she chuckled, then asked, "You're not going to waste time, aren't you? You're going to go straight for the personal stuff?"

"Well, yeah, might as well get that information out of the way," Angie remarked. "And besides, that's the thing I'm more curious about, as well."

Mina smiled, shook her head, then took a deep breath before explaining:

"I once used to be among the most prestigious elites in all of Mewni: I was a member of the diamond court, which meant that I worked for Queen Moon, and to a lesser extent a spoiled brat of a sentient crystal called Rhombulus. Everything was fine for the most part: People respected me, my enemies feared me, and even when I got into a relationship with the queen herself, we managed to work things out in a way that benefitted everybody."

"Wait, what was that about the queen?" Rafael asked.

"I won't repeat myself, Diazes. Mostly because doing so will make me feel depressed," Mina took a deep breath. "As I was saying, everything was going fine..."

Mina looked somberly at the ground.

"But then, I found out a horrible truth about our world, and in order to try and change things, and avenge a fellow Loveberry, I joined forces with some fellow revolutionaries and we launched an attack on the Council of Queens, the highest authority in all of Mewni, in an event known as "The Loveberrian Revolution" or something melodramatic like that."

Despite getting an idea as to why the event was called like that, Angie still felt compelled to ask, "Why did they call it that?"

"Because the council, being a bunch incompetent buffoons, assumed I was the leader and instigator of the whole thing," Mina rolled her eyes and put her arms behind her head. "But I was more along the lines of a second-in-command."

Rafael raised an eyebrow. "If you were just the second in-command, who was the leader of the group?"

"You seriously expect me to spill the beans on something so sensitive?" Mina shook her head. "Sorry, but I'm already spilling enough beans as it is. Ask me something else."

"You're a mewman, as you just told us, and you do have the six fingers mewmans have by default," Rafael scratched his head in confusion. "But don't mewmans also have some odd symbols on their cheeks as well? Natural symbols, at that?"

"The cheekmarks are nothing more than proof that the specific mewman has become capable of controlling the magical potential within them," Mina narrowed her eyes and looked elsewhere. "Take away the mewman's magic, and the cheekmarks fade back into nothingness."

"So you lost your magic?" Angie inquired. "How could that even happen, though?"

"There are several ways mewmans can lose magic, actually; One of the most common methods involves sealing either part of, or all of the magic, inside some sort of object, creating a magical artifact in the process," Mina explained with a stern tone. "Another method involves transferring the magic to another mewman or human, basically a swap of sorts."

Mina put her arms behind her head and leaned back as she added, with a serious tone:

"But there's a third method, which is the one I dealt with: A mewman, in my case the queen, grabbed me by cheekmarks and absorbed my magic while I stood helplessly, flailing my arms and pleading her to stop as my comrades stood and watched me lose any ounce of dignity I used to have."

Mina got off the bed and dusted herself. "Now, if you excuse me, dawn has already started, so I have to go."

Rafael nodded in agreement. "You gotta go to the school, right?"

"I gotta go to work, yes, but I don't work at the school today, I'm only in charge of the MAO program and that only happens on mondays and wednesdays," Mina answered. "I have another job to go to, though, so It's not like I can stay here either."

Mina promptly walked to the door, but stopped before she went through.

"Listen, Diazes," Mina spoke, getting the couple's attention. "Be sure to enjoy whatever time you have left to relax. Because sooner or later, you're going to be dragged into an interdimensional mess."

Angie narrowed her eyes. "Are you threatening us?!"

"I'm giving you a fair warning," Mina stated as she turned to and gave the couple a stern look. "You seriously think that what happened yesterday is never going to happen again? Listen, I know you told me that the fragments weren't taken, but it doesn't matter if the council got what they wanted or not. They never go to one dimension once, they always make sure to revisit dimensions just in case they missed something."

Mina narrowed her eyes. "And seeing how your son managed to survive fighting one of their own, then their interest will definitely be piqued. They'll try find out how the heck he managed to fight on equal grounds with Star, and if my assumptions about him are correct, and they find out about that particular tidbit... then they may try to kill him."

Mina shifted her focus to Angie. "Also, Mrs. Diaz? You may want to keep your emotions in check. The more emotional you are, the easier you'll make it for magic to corrupt you."

Angie turned back to her bandaged arms and looked at them as the seasoned warrior left the room, with Angie clenching her fists as her husband put a comforting hand on her shoulder and said, "Mina has a point; It's morning already, and we need to help the girls get ready for school."

Mrs. Diaz looked elsewhere with a concerned look.

"And, if we have time, we can go to the dungeon and check up on Marco," Mr. Diaz added. "But for now, let's focus on the girls, okay?"

Mrs. Diaz nodded, and continued to look at her arms as she thought:

" _Mina... can we really trust you?_ "

Then she turned to her husband and stated:

"Rafael, get the phone. We need to make a call."


	8. Grounded

**Okay, next chapter's here! Sorry if the last one was a bit short, and I'm also sorry if this one still counts as too short, but I assure you, I'll do whatever I can do so the next chapter will be around the 6000-8000 length you're used to by now. And until then, how about you give me a suggestion on what to do until then?**

 **Also, while there won't be any previews for the next chapters, because I figured that would only make this story take even longer to write, I can at least tell you what will happen in this chapter: We're gonna see an interesting bit of lore, about a rather important character.**

 **But now, to the reviews:**

 **1) Nobody245:**

 *** The Mewmen in this story are a bit more overtly... unpleasent, than in canon, but they're not the bad guys. They're just followers of A bad guy.**

 *** That's a bit hard to say, because if I did do that this story would become even longer. And besides, Marco's hybrid nature is noteworthy because he's one of the main characters, so unless anybody else on the maginuch side becomes a hybrid too, he'll be the only hybrid we see for a while. But there might be more hiding, that's for sure.**

 *** This chapter might give you the answer you seek...**

 **2) LoudAutomata16: Get your mind out of the gutter, man, that's mewman territory!**

 *** HP Lovecraft and Harry Potter, two interesting sources of inspiration to take into account for this story.**

 **3) allen Vth: He probably would be all like "This again? Geez."**

 *** Mina's a loose cannon, 'nuff said.**

 **4) animehero1000:**

 *** I know, right? It's not like they spend part of their lives developing their bodies in order to be perfectly okay after a confrontation with a mewman or a stray monster... wait...**

 *** Specially because she typically doesn't get to sleep for long.**

 **And now, to the chapter!**

* * *

 _ **Inside a prison cell...**_

The Queen of Hearts and Queen of Spades sat on chairs, Star looking at the ground in contemplative regret, while Eclipsa narrowed her eyes and folded her arms, as the duo were scolded by the angry duo of Hekapoo and Omnitraxus, with Rhombulus watching from the corner.

"Do you two _understand_ what you nearly did!?" Hekapoo yelled, making Star flinch. "I allowed you two to go see if you could find the fragments, and that was it! You weren't supposed to engage in combat unless it was absolutely necessary!"

"The most devastating events in Mewni's history have all come from an act of recklessness and irresponsibility!" Omnitraxus snapped at Eclipsa, who just looked elsewhere. "You could've started another such event if even one thing had gone wrong!"

"One thing already went wrong: The maginuchs refused to hand over the fragments they were hiding!" Eclipsa shouted in return. "Our species was kind enough to give them a fighting chance against the monsters with the magical artifacts, the least they could do is hand over the fragments!"

"Eclipsa, you can't just expect some random humans to have any idea about the fragments! Their existence is mostly confined within the walls of Mewni and it's related kingdoms!" Omnitraxus replied. "And they certainly wouldn't tell you anything after you tried to attack them!"

"It's their fault for thinking they had a chance to beat me," Eclipsa rolled her eyes. "I mean, they did, but I wasn't giving it my all anyway!"

"Well, what about you, Star?" Hekapoo asked, getting the Queen of Hearts' attention. "What's your excuse for nearly killing a human?"

"I'm telling you, whoever I fought was anything but a human!" Star exclaimed in frustration. "He attacked me, his eyes glew yellow, and when I pulled my Emotion Supernova, he got four glowing, yellow eyes!"

Eclipsa and Omnitraxus gave Star a surprised look, with Eclipsa looking particularly worried. As for Hekapoo, the fiery redhead mantained her stern look at the queen.

"And he told me he wouldn't let me go unless I defeated him in a fight," Star folded her arms. "And I had no choice but to give it my all; If he won, he'd get to keep the thing I needed to take with me-"

"Speaking of that thing, what exactly were you fighting for anyway?" Hekapoo raised an eyebrow. "Show it to us, Butterfly."

Star hesitantly reached for her back and took out the Pony Head horn, and the looks from everybody else said it all: Eclipsa rubbed her forehead and shook her head, Omnitraxus had an "are you serious?" look, and Hekapoo snatched the thing and took a closer look at it, looking particularly angry.

"I-It's a Pony Head horn, they were selling it for two hundred dollars, and since I dont know what those are-"

"Grounded," Hekapoo hissed. "Both of you, are grounded."

Omnitraxus sighed and threw Eclipsa a saddened look before he and Hekapoo left, but not before Rhombulus inserted his arm into the wall, then crystallized the cell completely. He left afterwards, leaving the queens alone to think about what they did.

"Of all the things you could've picked for a fight, you took one of the most easily replaced things in Mewni?!" Eclipsa spoke, slowly getting angrier until she snapped, "There are several dozens of warnicorns in the legions! If you wanted to get your friend back, you could decapitate a warnicorn, bring its head to life, and boom, end of story!"

The Queen of Spades shot a glare at her fellow queen. "Was that so hard to do, Star!?"

"Pony Head's unique, Eclipsa! She was with me through some of my hardest times, I can't replace her like nothing!" Star snapped in return. "And besides, you're in no position to scold me for my irrationality! You were the one who almost killed a group of humans unprovoked!"

"Their kind took away Celena, Star! It's because of them Mewni's in such a broken state! Trusting them is simply out of the question, It's always been out of the question, and we didn't realize that until it was too late!" Eclipsa hissed. "Plus, you can't tell me killing humans for refusing to cooperate is worse than killing a single one, that may not even be a full human, for a glorified crayon!"

Star narrowed her eyes and gritted her teeth. "Say that again. I dare you!"

Eclipsa returned the narrowed look. "Glorified. Crayon!"

Star leaped from her chair and tackled Eclipsa to the floor, where she started to pummel the queen as hard as she could, though it wasn't long before Eclipsa broke free and returned the favor. Soon after, Eclipsa got up, lifted Star by the neck of her dress, then pinned her against the wall, where the Queen of Hearts took the chance to snap an icicle nearby and stab Eclipsa's arm with it.

Eclipsa released Star and clutched her injured arm as Star reached for her neck and gasped for air. The duo of queens exchanged stern looks at each other, then pulled away and left each other alone, Eclipsa sitting at the corner opposite to Star's.

 ** _Meanwhile, at the corridor nearby..._**

Moon and Meteora watched the Queens of Spades and Hearts through Omnitraxus' stomach, Moon sporting a preoccupied look while Meteora shook her head in disapproval.

"Are you sure we should let them stay on the same cell?" Moon asked her fellow queen, who raised an eyebrow. "They didn't even spend a minute together and they already exchanged a couple punches. Who knows what they'll do to each other if they stay together."

"Calm down, Moon, I set the crystallization to only last around five minutes," Rhombulus explained as he and Hekapoo entered the room. "That should be long enough for them to think about what they did, and just short enough to stop them from trying to kill each other."

"I hope so," Moon rubbed her forehead. "Because if those two wind up putting each other out of commission-"

"Don't pay attention to that, let's focus on the more important thing; the fragments," Meteora spoke, brushing Moon's hair in a comforting manner as she continued. "They're still stuck on Earth, and if we want to come up for a plan to get them in a way that doesn't give us even more problems, we need to find out about their status: Their whereabouts, who owns them, stuff like that."

Moon hummed to herself, then turned to Omnitraxus, who shook his head. "I'm sorry, your majesty, but my powers are límited to dimensions, space, and time. I can tell you where the fragments are, but not their exact location."

"And we can't go looking for them ourselves either, after the mess Star and Eclipsa made, the humans aren't gonna welcome us with open arms anytime soon..." Meteora hummed to herself, then turned to the fiery redhead and sentient crystal. "Hekapoo, could you send one of your clones to search the dimension?"

Hekapoo nodded. "I'm on it!"

The redhead left, and Rhombulus chirped, "Oh, what do I do?"

"Please keep an eye on Eclipsa and Star," Moon requested. "If they look like they'll start fighting, get them out of there immediately."

"And crystallize them If necessary," Meteora sternly interjected.

"Meteora, please, Rhombulus is mentally a child, you need to speak to him gently. And he's my servant, so he'll only take orders from me," Moon told the hybrid queen, before turning back to Rhombulus and stating, "And Rhombulus, sweetie, crystallize them if necessary."

"You know, repeating the exact order I was given, but in a different tone, doesn't guarantee that I will do it," Rhombulus shrugged. "But I'm on it."

Rhombulus left, giving Omnitraxus the chance to speak, "I'm gonna go back to my room to check up on the other universes."

"Wait, Omnitraxus, before you go, have you seen Lekmet?" Meteora asked. "I haven't seen him since our meeting earlier this morning."

"Hmm, he's probably off somewhere, looking for something to eat, like usual," Omnitraxus flew away. "I'll be sure to look for him eventually, and I'll let you know if I find him."

The sentient galaxy left, and Moon and Meteora exchanged looks and nodded before they left as well to do their queenly duties.

 ** _Back with Eclipsa and Star..._**

The duo remained silent and distant, only occasionally taking a quick glance at each other, just to check whether the other one was gonna do something. However, after a while, Star sighed and crawled towards Eclipsa, who removed the shard and rubbed her arm as she covered it in a black energy of sort.

"Eclipsa, I'm sorry that I snapped the way I did," Star looked elsewhere and rubbed her arm. "It's just that, Pony Head was one of the few good friends I had, that didn't evolve into a romance followed by a heartbreak anyway, and I felt devastated when I lost her."

"I know the feeling, a long time ago, I lost someone close to me," Eclipsa frowned, wincing a little as her injury started to heal. "But unlike your friend, I didn't lose them in the heat of battle."

Eclipsa clutched her stomach. "I lost... him... because of my own actions."

"Well, it's not like the conflict we were stuck with wasn't entirely my fault," Star scratched the back of her head. "I probably should've been a bit more tactful when Tom and I refused to get married."

"Okay, I wasn't present for that event, so I have no idea what you're talking about," Eclipsa bluntly answered.

"Well, a long time ago, the Butterfly and Lucitor families tried to establish a peace treaty by having me marry the prince, Tom, who's also one of my ex-lovers," Star explained, twiddling her fingers as she nervously added, "However, we both agreed we weren't the best for each other, and we decided to cancel the wedding-"

Eclipsa smirked. "'Cause you're a lesbian?"

Star narrowed her eyes and growled, "Eclipsa, I'm not a lesbian. I just tend to have more romantic feelings towards girls than guys."

Eclipsa's smirk didn't falter. "In other words, a lesbian."

"No!" Star snapped before taking a deep breath. "Listen, I like both boys and girls, but when it comes to developing romantic feelings rowards one over the other, I tend to develop feelings for girls more often than I develop them for boys. Think like when my mom was younger-"

"Moon was a lesbian?" Eclipsa shook her head. "I mean, she did have a relationship with a certain girl-"

"Point is, we canceled the wedding, but our parents insisted on us marrying each other," Star sighed and put a hand on her cheek. "Things escalated, and a big fight broke off when Tom spat out obscenities at my parents, while flipped the bird at his parents' faces."

"Okay, I'm happy that you stood by your beliefs and didn't marry somebody you didn't want to, and the fact the Lucitors are our allies anyway means that things worked out in the end," Eclipsa sighed. "But there's something I don't understand: The bird is done by flipping the middle finger at someone, so how did you pull it off if we have an even number of fingers?"

"I just did this," Star casually flipped her third and fourth finger at the Queen of Spades. "It's not as blatant as the real deal, but it sends the same message anyway."

Eclipsa chuckled. "You know, Star? You remind me of someone."

"My mom when she was younger?" Star guessed.

"Celena," Eclipsa stated, getting Star's attention as she explained, "You're spunky, emotional, and a little bit rebellious, but you're also kindhearted, mature when you see fit, and you're not afraid to think outside the box. All traits that fit Celena pretty well."

"But I'm not shy," Star stated. "And I'm also not a super powerful entity that can manipulate magic like it was nothing."

"Not yet, anyway," Eclipsa murmured, putting a hand on Star's head as she spoke, "What I mean to say is, you remind me of her, Star. You just need to mature a little bit more, and soon enough, you'll be as respected and beloved as she once was."

"...Eclipsa, why is Celena such an important figure?" Star inquired, earning a perplexed look from the Queen of Spades. "I mean, I know she's the "Eternal High Queen" and all that, but is there anything _else_ to her?"

"Ohohoho, Star, there's much more to her than you think," Eclipsa smiled in excitement. "In fact, the creation myth of Mewni says it all, and I can tell it to you... if you'd like to hear it, that is."

Star rolled her eyes. "We're both essentially grounded, so it's not like I can reject your offer, can I?"

Eclipsa clasped her hands and chuckled to herself, before taking a deep breath.

"Fair enough, let's start with the basics..."

 ** _Celena's Story..._**

A lone Celena was shown sitting on what looked like clouds, watching at the world that laid below her. Notably, Celena, and the rest of the scene for that matter, was represented through shadow puppets.

"A long time ago, the world was watched by powerful, highly influential magical beings simply known as "The Great Magical Ones."

The Celena shadow puppet was suddenly surrounded by several other shadow puppets, some looking more monstrous than others.

"These immortal entities were the governors of several pieces of magic itself: Some governed death, some governed fire, but one thing they all shared was that they were never the governor of only one piece. In particular, Celena governed quite an extensive list of elements of magic."

The image changed to show the Celena shadow puppet in the middle of a wheel, depicting, among other things, a butterfly, a coccoon, a baby, sparkles, and a potion.

"Celena was the governor of beauty, potion-making, life, transformation, metamorphosis, and secrecy. And with this, she was capable of creating some of the most well-known spells and potions in mewni: Youth potions, glamours, all that stuff was her doing. But sadly, for all her strength..."

The image changed, and now Celena was among a crowd of her fellow kin, bowing down, seemingly against her will.

"She, like her fellow "The Great Magical Ones," were under the orders of their superiors."

The image zoomed away, revealing a familiar group of five people.

"The Magic High Commission. A group of five Great Magical Ones that controlled their fellow kin, and all of existence, with the use of some special wands."

The image showcased five wands, each with a specifically shaped crystal: A heart, a club, a spade, a diamond, and a star.

"The Wands of Destiny, which consisted of..."

The image changed to show Hekapoo using the wand with the clubs signal. She held it up high, and smirked as she was surrounded by several clones of herself.

"The Wand of Clubs, also known as the Wand of Omnipresence. This wand possesses the power to allow it's user to teleport all across existence unstopped, making them be everywhere, yet nowhere at the same time."

The next image showed Rhombulus aiming his wand, the one with the diamond symbol, at some Great Magical One, before trapping them inside a crystal.

"The Wand of Diamonds, also known as the Wand of Eternity. This wand allows it's user to encase whoever it wanted, or even entire places if need be, in crystal that both withstood the test of time, and could only be undone by the user of the wand."

Up next was Omnitraxus Prime, one of his arms folded behind his back while the other held the wand with the spade symbol, which glew as several dimensions orbitted around the sentient galaxy.

"The Wand of Spades, also known as the Wand of Space-Time. This wand allows it's user to control both time in all it's manner, and all of space, including gravity."

Up next, Lekmet stood peacefully on a field, holding the wand with the heart symbol close to his person as everything around him withered and decayed into nothingness.

"The Wand of Hearts, also known as the Wand of Entropy. This wand allows it's user to not only extend their own existence against the will of the universe, but also absorb the life of others around them, giving them an earlier death."

Finally, Glossaryck held the wand with the star symbol high, and he remained on a lotus position as several strings gathered around him, bringing a pleased smile to his face.

"And finally, the Wand of Stars, also known as the Wand of Fate. Easily the strongest of them all, the wand allows it's user to manipulate the fate of anything in the universe, from beginning to end."

Back at the scene of the bowing Celena and Great Magical Ones, this time showing the Magic High Commission in their full glory aiming their wands at the bowing beings.

"With these wands, the Magic High Commission kept the Great Magical Ones in check, and governed all of existence with iron fists. Or iron wands, if you will."

The shadow puppet Celena frowned, and gritted her teeth.

"And their rule was something Celena refused to allow to continue."

Celena leaped towards the commission, and extended her hand towards Glossaryck.

"So, taking a great risk, she leaped straight for the commission, reached for the most powerful wand of them all-"

Celena threw the Wand of Fate on the ground, shattering it to pieces.

"And shattered the wand into a million pieces, taking away the Magic High Commission's strongest weapon in their arsenal."

Hekapoo, Omnitraxus, Rhombulus, and Lekmet aimed their wands at Celena.

"As for the other wands..."

But the shadow puppet dodged the blasts and punched and kicked the wands, shattering them as well."

"Those were destroyed too, leaving the MHC with no more control over the Great Magical Ones, nor existence itself."

 ** _Back at the present..._**

"And so, thanks to her efforts, the tyrannical Magic High Commission the true power of mewmanity, and the council of queens was created to further cultivate this potential under her leadership!" Eclipsa proclaimed proudly. "And then the Maginuchs messed everything up, like they usually do. And there's more to this story than what I just said, yes, but that's as far as I'm willing to tell you, Star deary."

Star, however, didn't register that at first. Instead, she registered something different: "Wait a minute, you mean to tell me I've been dating a divine creature all this time?!"

"Of course not!" Eclipsa waved her hand dismissively. "You've been dating an extension of magic itself."

"How's that any different?!" Star asked. "And more importantly-"

And then Rhombulus entered the room. "Eclipsa, Star, time's up, you can leave and return to your duties now."

The sentient crystal slammed his arm on the wall and undid the crystallization he put the cell in. Once it was fully clear, the Queens got up, the Queen of Spades patting the Queen of Hearts' head before giving her a wink, then separating from her.

Just as she started to leave, though, Star suddenly asked:

"Eclipsa, did you have a crush on Celena?"

The Queen of Nothingness blushed and looked all over the place as she tried to explain yourself:

"I-I-I don't have that kind of relationship with her! I mean, had! We were strictly like mother and daughter, nothing more!"

"I know, but it just seems weird you seem to get all dreamy and when you talk about her." Star pointed out. "It almost seems more like you were talking about a lover, rather than a relative!"

Eclipsa pulled her hair, stood up, and stomped her way out as Star asked, "Was it something I said?"

The Queen of Spades murmured to herself, "Of all the things you could've inheritted from your mother, why did it had to be her audacity?!"

As soon as Eclipsa had left, Star approached Rhombulus as he released his arm and got ready to leave too. "I asked something sensitive, didn't I?"

"Well, picture it like this: Celena's been gone for an odd number of years, Eclipsa and her were very close, she told you Celena's story while showing how much she loved her as well... and then, without warning, you ask her if she had a crush on her mother figure," Rhombulus wrapped his arm around Star's shoulder. "Let's be honest, nobody's ever gonna be happy to be asked that, whether it's true or not."

Star frowned. "Should I go apologize to her?"

"Nah, she'll get over it pretty soon, she has more important things to do after all," Rhombulus leaned closer to Star. "And, here's a hint: You have something to focus on, too."

Rhombulus left the cell with Star, then guided the Queen of Hearts to her bedroom, where she was met with the sight of Hekapoo on her bed, arms folded behind back, sporting a stern look.

And, before she could even ask, Rhombulus bolted his way out of the room as fast as he could, slamming the door shut in the process.

"Thanks for the support, Rhombulus!" Star yelled at the closed door, before she turned back to the stern Hekapoo. "Hi, Hekapie, what's up? How long have you been here?"

"A while, to be honest," Hekapoo got off the bed and walked towards the queen. "And before you even think about asking about the horn, I saved it somewhere that you can't reach, and it's gonna stay there until you pay for it."

Star gasped in horror, prompting Hekapoo to casually add:

"In Earth dollars."

Star took a sigh of relief as Hekapoo explained:

"One way or another, you took something that had a prize to it, and since the way you chose to get it was to possibly kill the merchant who held it, the only way we can fix this mess, without adding even more on our plate, is to pay for it with that dimension's money. So, let me ask you, Beautyfly: How much did the thing cost?"

The Queen of Hearts rubbed her arm and took a deep breath before answering, "200 dollars."

Hekapoo scratched her chin. "Okay, I think I know a way you can get enough earth money to pay the thing. And we better do it fast."

Star tilted her head. "Why?"

"You said the merchant took a form with four monster-like eyes, or something like that, moments before you used your strongest attack against them, right?" Hekapoo folded her arms as Star nodded. "Four monster eyes means they'd have a connection to a certain entity that even Celena made sure never to mess with."

The fiery redhead turned back to the Queen of Hearts, and with a serious tone stated:

"And trust me, Star: Getting on his bad side is something you never want to do."

 ** _Lucitor Kingdom..._**

The place that could only be best described as the underworld itself was having a fairly normal day: Demons walking around like normal people, in the only place they were even considered as such, with some macabre and gothic themes and stuff laid around to give the place some "atmosphere," as the ruling monarchs liked to call it.

In one particular spot of this kingdom, a young humanoid being with a tail and three eyes was checking some stuff at the market, when he heard his phone ring. He left the market and leaned against the entrance as he answered the call:

"Hello?"

He heard a familiar, female voice on the other end.

"Oh hey, Mrs. Diaz! Long time no talk! How's Marco doing?"

What he heard next from the woman, which took the form of gibberish being spouted from the other end, soured his mood instantly.

"He's what?! How?!"

The entity gripped his phone harder.

"Who!?"

The woman explained, and the figure's grip hardened.

"I see... don't worry, Mrs. Diaz, I'll take care of this pesky little intruder myself!"

The entity's anger reached such a length that he crushed his phone in rage... and mere seconds later, he realized what he did.

"Ah, crap, now I need a new phone!"


	9. The Next Day

**And here we are with the next chapter of Wands of Destiny! And perhaps, the start of a new arc?**

 **Okay, I'm gonna be perfectly honest, I don't know when the next arc's gonna start, but I get the feeling the next two chapters might be a good way to start it. Yes, chapters, this is technically a two-partner. What do I mean by technically? Well, they're not in the "part 1" and "part 2" theme, but they tell a continuous story.**

 **Think like Steven Universe, with the obnoxious hiatus included! :D**

 **Anyway, I'll give you a little hint about what happens on this chapter: A friendship blooms.**

 **Also, I may start updating this story once every two or three weeks instead of weekly, if only to give myself more time to write the chapters.**

 **Now, to the reviews:**

 **1) GennaiArakida-XIV: Well, color me surprised, I didn't expect to see you here. But still, I'm glad you chose to check out the story, and for some quick information, the mewmans in this story have 6 fingers on each hand, not 4.**

 **2) allen Vth:**

 *** That's good, right? XD**

 *** I guess, but I wasn't sure if flashbacks were being done too much, and we kinda already had a flashback with Eclipsa's story, but I'll try to put a flashback concerning Star and Tom later on, I promise.**

 *** Yeah, and if you wanna go deeper than that, those two could be considered the "trouble children" of the Council of Queens.**

 *** Globgor doesn't sound like a common name, though...**

 *** Yes, that's indeed the best part of this XD**

 **3) LoudAutomata16:**

 *** To be fair, they don't need to flip the bird at people, they can just be themselves. XD**

 *** No way, what gave away Tom's identity?**

 **And now, to the chapter itself!**

* * *

 ** _The Diaz Household..._**

Mr. and Mrs. Diaz dusted the trio of Janna, Jackie, and Brittney, who looked ready to go to school... ignoring Jackie and Janna's tired looks, of course.

"I don't understand what's the point of us going to school after being attacked by mewmans," Jackie complained, rubbing her forehead as she grumpily added, "Specially me, since I was on the line of fire while Janna and Brittney were hiding in Marco's bedroom!"

"Jackie, I know you like the ocean, but do you have to act so crabby right now?" Janna quipped, earning a furious look from the skateboarder. "Besides, you were the one who decided to fight over the remaining spot on Marco's bed after I put Brittney to sleep."

"To be fair, though, you tried to claim dibs on it first," Ferguson spoke from within the grimoire.

"Yeah, and you didn't even talk it out, you literally leaped on it when Jackie popped up and said "dibs!" like it was something one could get first-" Alfonzo added.

Janna smacked the grimoire, making the boys within wince. "Shut up, you two!"

Jackie rolled her eyes, put her skateboard on the ground and drove off, with Janna chasing after her while Brittney flinched, returning to reality after playing with her hair for a while. Once the duo were out of sight, the girl tried to follow them, but was stopped by Mrs. Diaz, who grabbed her arm and said:

"Listen, Brittney, be careful out there, alright?" Angie held back a tear. "I nearly lost one child yesterday, I don't want to lose another one."

Brittney raised an eyebrow. "But I'm not your biological child."

"You should know by now that doesn't matter to us," Rafael stated as he went to Angie's side and put a hand on her shoulder. "Just remember: Be careful, watch both sides before crossing the street, and don't trust any stray monsters."

Brittney nodded, and went down the same road Janna and Jackie went to, leaving the couple to go back inside the house, while Brittney ran down the road, taking a look around before she stopped upon hearing a peculiar noise:

The sound of what seemed to be a goat in agony, or at the very least great pain.

She turned around, and spotted none other than Lekmet, sitting on the ground and clutching his stomach as it growled. He let out a pained bleat as he took a look around as he stood up, only to fall down on the ground. Feeling sympathetic, Brittney frowned and tried to approach the goat monster, only to be dragged into a bush nearby, where Jackie and Janna were hiding.

"Jackie? Janna?" the cheerleader asked. "What are you two doing here?"

"There's a stray monster outside and you expect us to be out in plain sight of him?!" Janna complained, with Jackie nodding in agreement.

"I thought we called "stray monsters" the ones that seem to be mindless?" Brittney peaked out from the bush. "He doesn't look mindless. In fact, he looks like he's very hungry-"

"Yeah, that's what we call a man-eating monster, a class of monster that, believe it or not, eats humans!" Jackie stated, taking a peak next to Brittney. "If he sees us, he's going to kill us, then eat us!"

"Or even worse, he'll try to eat us alive!" Janna added, also taking a peak next to Brittney. "And if there's anything worse than being eaten, it's being eaten alive, when you can feel every single bit of it!"

"And what's more, there's a page about such monsters in the grimoire!" Ferguson stated from within the book. "And I think I can see a picture that looks like him! The monster looks like some ox-human hybrid, right?"

Brittney just rolled her eyes and moved a bit forward, being essentially pushed out of the bush by Janna and Jackie being right next to her. And as soon as she came out, Lekmet turned around and bleated in fear, backing away as the cheerleader flinched as well.

"Calm down," Brittney requested as she took a couple steps forward. "I-I'm not going to hurt you."

"Brittney, what are you doing?!" Jackie whispered from the bush. "Get back here right now!"

And then, Brittney's lock of hair turned pink, causing her to stop as a familiar, shy voice spoke to her:

" _Your friends... You should listen to them... This being can't be trusted... He can't be trusted..._ "

Janna, noticing the pink lock, quickly shouted, "See?! Even your imaginary friend thinks this is a bad idea!"

Brittney threw an angry glare at Janna as the voice continued to speak:

" _I met him before... His presence is one of decay and accelerated death... if you do even one thing wrong, he'll steal your very life, and make you wither into an early death... I'm sorry to tell you this now, but I don't want you to make the same mistake many have done before you-_ "

"Tell me one person who made the mistake of trusting this goat guy, then," Brittney sternly stated, folding her arms as she sternly added, "Just one person, and I'll give it a second thought. Otherwise, leave me alone."

The voice went silent, and the lock of hair turned back to it's natural color, prompting Brittney to approach the confused Lekmet. She then reached for her back, then took out some dry fruit.

"You seem to be looking for something to eat, and while I had the idea to eat these myself during recess, I'm willing to share them with you," Brittney spoke before leaning the fruit closer to the winged goat... being. "So come on, be my guest."

Lekmet looked at the dry fruit, smiled, and licked his lips before he reached for some of them and ate them, smiling widely as Brittney smiled in relief.

"See, girls?" Brittney said in an "I told you!" sort of tone. "He's just hungry! Come on, give the poor fellow some food too!"

Jackie and Janna exchanged confused looks, then left the bush and decided to approach Brittney and humor her idea. So they leaned their hands forward to offer Lekmet some food, which was first done by Jackie:

"I got a pair of tuna sandwiches from Marco's Mom, so I don't mind sharing one with you."

And then Janna:

"And I have some apples. And if you want, I can go get you an empty can somewhere-"

Jackie jabbed Janna, and she corrected, "I mean, uh, take the apple, I insist."

Lekmet grabbed the offered objects, and ate them as Jackie and Janna smiled, grabbed Brittney by her arms, and then Janna shouted:

"Hermes' Boots!"

Her boots turned white with wings at the sides, and she ran as far away as possible, dragging Brittney and Jackie with her while Lekmet swallowed the food and turned to the road the girls went down. He tilted his head, blinked in curiosity... then walked down the same road.

 ** _Star's Dream..._**

The Queen of Hearts woke up in some desolate place, being essentially featureless as she took a look around, hoping to find anything in this blank void. But even when a light materialized above her spot, all she really found out was that she was resting on top of a bed made of roses.

"What the heck?" Star said to herself as she took a closer look at the roses. "Aren't these the same kind of flower Celena had on her hair?"

However, the instant she touched the roses, their color slowly faded, turning them completely black. And even after Star dropped the flower and rolled away from the bed, the remaining roses turned black, before they dried up and withered into dust... all except for one, which remained behind as the dust of the other roses flew high in the sky.

The one remaining rose, the sole surviving rose, was colored blue.

Star reached for the rose, picked it up, and was amazed that the rose didn't change color, or even lose its blue color. She held it for a while, trying to find something special about the rose besides its odd color and possible immortality.

"Okay, so you seem to be important for something," Star remarked, raising an eyebrow. "But what's that something?"

Without warning, a shadow loomed over the Queen of Hearts, and once she looked up, she saw the shadow belonged to a giant, humanoid, caterpillar-like...thing, with a large bulbous head, massive, seemingly fragmented bug eyes, and body segments composed of headless copies of a body that looked similar on her own, ending on... a reptillian tail?

With a clear view of the creature, Star had only one thing to say:

"What the hell are you?"

The creature looked down at the rose, then licked its lips before swallowing it. The beast ran away afterwards, with Star quickly giving chase.

"Hey, get back here!"

However, she stopped as soon as she heard some hissing in the distance, followed by a dry voice growling:

"Your Highness..."

Star clasped her hands and looked around.

"W-Who's there?"

"You did this to me..." the voice hissed. "You did this to me!"

"Listen, I have no idea who you are or what you're talking about," Star looked around. "But if I did wrong you somehow, then let me see you. Let me talk with you, maybe we can sort this out!"

The voice hissed once more.

"There's nothing you can do to fix me!"

A red eye lit up in the darkness.

"And you wanna know why?!"

Before Star could answer, the figure with the eyes rushed towards her and pinned her against a wall, revealing his identity in the process:

It was Marco, eyes still pitch black, with various bone-like pieces sticking out of his body.

"You! Did this! Yo me!"

Marco formed a fist and punched Star, causing her to wake up in the real world.

More specifically, she woke up inside Hekapoo's carriage, with the mistress of teleportation sitting right next to her.

"Good morning, Beautyfly, we'll be at the exchange center in a moment," Hekapoo frowned. "Is something wrong, though?"

Star grabbed her head and shouted, "Roses! Caterpillar! Skeleton Mwrchant-!"

"Okay, Beautyfly, calm down, freaking out won't help anybody," Hekapoo said with a calm tone. "Try breathing in and out."

Star obliged, and took a couple of deep breaths. "In... out... in... out..."

"Feeling better now?" the fiery redhead asked.

Star nodded. "Yeah, I think so... do you wanna hear what I saw in my dream?"

Hekapoo shook her head. "Not if it'll make you freak out again, Star."

The Queen of Hearts took a sigh of relief and looked elsewhere, her expression slowly changing from relieved to to worried. Hekapoo soon noticed this, but she just rolled her eyes and counted with her fingers: three, two, one...

"I was resting on a flower of roses in the middle of nowhere, and when I reach for one of them, all but one of them turn black and wither to dust. The one that remains is blue, and it lives even after I touch it, but then this giant caterpillar-monster-me comes out, eats the rose and runs away! I give chase, but then I feel somebody nearby, and before I know it, the merchant I fought comes out, looking like a skeletal monster, and then he blames me for what happened to him before he literally punches me back to reality!"

Hekapoo hummed to herself.

"Do you think that dream has some sort of hidden meaning? Or maybe it was just something weird that happened?" Star rubbed her forehead. "I mean, I haven't been sleeping well that lately, so-"

"Star, if your dream was something random and ridiculous, then yes, you could consider the dream to be something weird that just happened," Hekapoo folded her arms. "But from the way you talked about it, and the fact at least one part of it has to do with recent events, the dream has to have some sort of meaning."

"So, a cryptic dream of things to come?" Star asked, earning a "yeah, sure" nod from the fiery redhead. "Great, just what I needed."

"Let's just go back to the beginning for now, okay?" Hekapoo put a hand on Star's shoulder. "So, you woke up in a bed of roses?"

"In the middle of nowhere," Star added. "Then, when I touched the roses, they turned black, and withered to dust, except a blue one I found afterwards."

"What color were the other roses?" Hekapoo inquired.

Star shook her head. "I don't know, I tried to take a closer look at them by grabbing one, but again, all of them but the blue one turned black and decayed to dust."

"Well, the black rose is a symbol for many things, mostly bad things," Hekapoo shrugged as she tried remembering the symbology. "Anarchy, decay, destruction, chaos, revolution-"

"All things that serve as the theme of both my legion and Lekmet himself," Star thought for a second, but quickly ahook it off. "Anyway, after that, I take the blue rose, and it doesn't die."

"Blue roses typically symbolize achieving the impossible, so whatever it represents, it's something that can't decay nor wither, naturally or by force," Hekapoo raised an eyebrow. "And then you said a giant caterpillar version of you came out of nowhere and swallowed it?"

"I couldn't believe it either! And when I chased after it, I heard something, stopped, and then the merchant from before comes out of nowhere, looking like a skeletal thing!" Star took a deep breath. "Then he blames me for looking like that before he punches me awake."

"It probably represents how you think he's doing after the beating you gave him," Hekapoo remarked, only to feel the carriage hit a bump, then promptly stop on it's track. "Anyway, we're here, so don't think about that now."

The Queen of Hearts and her lover left the carriage, and they briefly svanned the exchange center, with the first thing they noticed being that the place was fairly... Calm, and quiet, very much unlike every other day.

"Great, the place is just how I expected it to be!" Hekapoo grabbed Star's hand. "Come on, Beautyfly, let's go exchange the money while we still can!"

Star just nodded and followed Hekapoo to the nearest counter available.

And as soon as they headed to the exchange counter, a similar carriage landed right next to Hekapoo's carriage, and from this carriage came out a certain three-eyed fellow...

 ** _Back on Earth, at Echo Creek Academy..._**

Janna leaned against her locker, catching her breath as Alfonzo and Ferguson created fans out of nothing and swung them to give the girl some air. As for Jackie and Brittney, the latter leaned against a nearby wall, twiddling her fingers sheepishly as Jackie paced back and forth in front of her, looking particularly upset.

"Do you have any idea how big is the list of risks you nearly took?!" Jackie sternly stated, the ground she paced back and forth slowly freezing as she added, "He could've eaten your hand rather than the dry fruit, or he could've brainwashed you into being his servant, or even worse, he could've kidnapped you and used you to get... whatever the heck he's looking for on Earth!"

"Jackie, you're freezing the floor again," Brittney nervously pointed out.

The skater stopped and looked at her feet, before trying to calm herself down upon seeing Brittney was basically right. "Okay, yes, I'm hyperventilating a little, but can you blame me?! You tried to feed a stray monster!"

"And I'm telling you, he's not a stray monster!" Brittney snapped back. "If he really was a stray monster, then he would've acted more like an animal, rather than a very hungry person! He was hungry, and I gave him food, that's it! What's so bad about it?!"

"Well, where do I begin?" Alfonzo spoke as he flew over to Brittney, then pulled out a list from his back. "You broke several rules explicitly written in the school's manual regarding monster interaction: No feeding a monster unless requested, no approaching a monster if they don't seem to have a stable status, health-wish of course-"

"Oh come on, we've been co-existing with monsters for the past decade, we should be past the necessity for such stupid rules!" Brittney sternly stated. "I mean, stray monsters and normal monsters are totally different things, and we've met several members of each kind frequently!"

"Yeah, but we've never seen a monster like the goat one before, Brittney," Janna stated, Ferguson and Alfonzo nodding in agreement. "Which is one of the most important rules in the manual: Never approach an undiscovered type of monster, and find a Monster Expert as soon as possible to let them take care of them."

"But the only Monster Expert we know of is on the tower, and we have school today!" Brittney sighed in exasperation. "Listen, can we just agree that I made one "bad" decision and drop the topic already?"

"What did you do?"

The girls flinched and turned around to see the source of the question came from none other than Brittney's cheerleading partners: Sabrina, Chantelle, Andrea, and Ed. 'Bout time they returned.

"Sorry, we couldn't help but overhear you talking about Brittney here, and we got curious," Chantelle spoke, gaining a little cat smile as she continued, "And can you blame us? You're saying she did something wrong, right?"

Brittney tried to talk, but she was stopped by Jackie, who stated, "She fed a monster we encountered on our way here. An _unindentified_ type of monster, at that."

The cheerleaders gasped, with Sabrina shaking her head in disappointment as she spoke, "Again, Brittney?"

"Listen, he was on the ground, groaning and bleating in pain, so I figured he needed something to eat and I did what any good samaritan would've done," Brittney explained, scratching the back of her head sheepishly.

"Bleating?" Ed asked in confusion.

Janna caught her breath and adjusted her glasses before she explained: "Yeah, the monster was some sort of goat-like creature, and the fact he only bleated leads me to believe he might be of the rare type of monster that's incapable of reproducing human speech. Luckily, I managed to get us out of there before it could try anything funny, so-"

Suddenly, the alarms blared, and the hallway flashed red as several students ran deeper into the building. Among the students, Mrs. Skullnick leaped off them and stood on top of a bench, speaking as she put her battle armor:

"Everybody head to the safe room! The other teachers and I will deal with the monster!"

The troll teacher ran to the entrance, and hearing what she said, Brittney turned to the nearest window and narrowed her eye, which diluted as well, giving her a clearer look of Mina fighting against a familiar goat-like monster. Upon seeing this, she gasped and ran towards the entrance, rather than the safe room like everybody else.

And Janna noticed this. "Brittney, where are you going?!"

The cheerleader just continued running away, with her cheerleading teammates joining her soon afterwards. Janna turned to see Alfonzo and Ferguson up, who gestured her to go after Brittney, and then turned to Jackie, who nodded in agreement. Seeing no other option, the girl sighed and growled:

"I'm gonna give Brittney an earful when this is over."

 ** _Back at the Exchange Center..._**

Star and Hekapoo reached a counter, with the pixie raising an eyebrow once they saw them.

"My oh my, if it isn't the one and only Queen of Hearts of Mewni," the Pixie behind the counter slyly remarked. "What, was your Mother too busy to come pay instead?"

Hekapoo threw a confused eyebrow at Star, prompting her to explain, "Mom usually comes to pay for any damages or other stuff concerning the council, whether it was done by me, Meteora, or specially Eclipsa."

"And you and the rest of the council should be thankful for that," the pixie smugly stated. "Do you know how much money she's wasted here just so you can get away with it? If 10 percent of that money didn't go to my salary, I'd feel sorry for her."

"Okay, I get it, alright?" Star reached for her back. "Listen, I made a mistake on a maginuch planet-"

"Yeah, what else is new?" The pixie scoffed with contempt.

Star promptly took out her purse. "I want to exchange some money so I can pay the fee."

"Okay, that's definitely new," the pixie remarked with a curious eyebrow. "Suspicious, even. Aren't you part of the highest authority in Mewni?"

"Just because I'm one of the rulers of Mewni doesn't mean I can do whatever I want," Star narrowed her eyes. "There are rules that I have to follow."

The Pixie rolled their eyes. "Oh, if only you knew."

Star raised an eyebrow as she took out a couple hundred red coins, with her face on the front, and the heart symbol on the back.

"How much coins must I exchange to get 200 dollars?" Star casually asked.

"Okay, first off, we don't accept the heart coins; Only diamond coins and upwards," the Pixie inspected one of the coins. "Secondly, to get 200 dollars you'd need either 50 spade coins, 100 club coins, or 200 diamond coins."

"For real!?" Star snapped, earning a casual nod from the pixie. "Ugh, give me a second."

Star took out from her purse the necessary spade coins, and exchanged them for the money she needed, before saving the red coins back in her purse.

"Thanks for the exchange, Queen of Hearts," the Pixie smugly said, "I hope we get to see each other again."

"Well, I hope we don't," Star bluntly stated in in exasperation.

Star and Hekapoo left the counter and walked back to Hekapoo's carriage, but not before Star spotted the carriage right next to Hekapoo's. And then, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, before opening them again to see none other than Tom, her half-demon ex-boyfriend, aiming a sword at her.

"Well hello there, Prince Tom," Star growled.

"That's King Tom for you!" Tom snapped, leaning the sword closer to the Queen's throat. "I got a call from a former associate, they told me what you did, and I'm here to make sure you pay for it, one way or another."

Star glanced at Tom's carriage. "You're heading to Earth?"

Tom chuckled. "Are you asking, or are you guessing?"

"Listen, Tom, Beautyfly over here needs to pay a debt she has with a certain merchant on Earth, one which I assume you already know about," Hekapoo explained, getting Tom's attention. "We have to head there right now."

Tom threw an angry look at Star, who silently nodded with a similar look. After a couple seconds, Tom smiled and put his sword away.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's head to Earth!" Tom leaned closer to Star. "But keep something in mind, "Beautyfly"; I got my eyes on you. Do something funny... And I will take you down."

Star rolled her eyes. "Tell me something I don't know."

 ** _B ack at Echo Creek Academy..._**

Mina, alongside Mrs. Skullnick and some of the other teachers, walked around the frontyard, looking around for any sign of Lekmet. Mina, in particular, looked around harder than the other teachers, to the point that the instant she heard something, she swung her pigtails around, cutting down several trees, but without Lekmet in sight.

"Calm down, Mina," Skullnick spoke, placing a hand on Mina's shoulder. "I know you might be worried about this monster, but freaking out neither helps us catch him, nor does it give a good impression on the other teachers. After all, _you're_ the one who's supposed to have experience dealing with monsters."

"The monsters I've dealt with are not the same kind as this one," Mina narrowed her eyes as she continued to look all over the place. "This one is one of the most dangerous monsters in existence. Even the slightest mistake could end in our death, so you can't blame me for being jumpy."

Just then, Brittney and the cheerleaders hid in a bush, with the cheerleaders trying their hardest to accomodate to the size of the bush as Brittney took a peak outside, looking for any sign of Lekmet's presence, which wasn't made easier by the teachers constantly blocking her view.

"Brittney?" Sabrina spoke, getting the head cheerleader's attention. "Listen, we'll always be by your side, you know that, right? Even so, I need to ask, is it really necessary to protect this monster you just met?"

The head cheerleader looked at the ground, and took a deep breath, before stating:

"I'm not going to lie to you, I don't know. But he needs help, and I'm not going to stand here and watch him be pestered by the teachers."

Brittney smiled. "And who knows, maybe he'll become friendly afterwards?"

"Brittney, I don't like being a pessimist," Sabrina sighed somberly. "But what if he _doesn't_ become friendly?"

The head cheerleader frowned, thought about it... then narrowed her eyes and went back to looking for Lekmet from her hiding spot, focusing her sight around her surroundings as her cheerleading teammates exchanged concerned looks. And eventually, the cheerleader captain spotted Lekmet hiding behind some trees, and smiled.

"There he is!" Brittney stated quietly.

The girl grabbed a rock nearby and threw it away, with the sound of the impact causing the teachers to turn their attention towards the stone, allowing Brittney to sneak her way towards the goat creature undetected... by all except one certain teacher...

Lekmet almost bleated in surprise when he saw Brittney approach him, but she quickly covered his mouth and said, "I know, I'm surprised to see you too, but giving away your location isn't a good idea,"

Brittney released Lekmet's mouth. "Now, first of, what are you doing here?"

Lekmet gave the cheerleader an "are you serious?" look.

"Right, you can only bleat, sorry, I forgot," the cheerleader looked at her surroundings. "Well, what matters right now is to get you out of here, Mina and the other teachers are looking for you-"

Suddenly, the tree the duo were hiding behind was cut in half, with the top half of it falling down to reveal Mina, looking down at the pair with a furious stare.

"Found you."

Mina swung her pigtails once more, with the strikes sending Lekmet flying off to the side of the building, prompting Brittney to try to run after him, only to be stopped by Mina holding her arm rather tightly.

"Kid, stay out of this," Mina stated. "You don't have the strength, let alone the experience, to deal with a monster of his magnitude!"

"Why?!" Brittney yelled right at Mina's face. "Why does everybody keep telling me I shouldn't trust him, without even bothering to explain to me why I shouldn't trust him!?"

"Because the monster you want to help is no mere monster!" Mina proclaimed as she pointed at the goat-like monster. "He's Lekmet, the chairman of the Magic High Commission, the very personification of impermanence itself!"

Once the shock of the revelation dissapeared, Brittney just asked dumbfoundedly, "How does that justify not trusting him?!"

"Do you need to ask?" Mina dropped Brittney and stomped her way towards the goat-like chairman as she spoke, "The Magic High Commission controls magic itself, which is the very source of many of the problems we face today, like the mewman's oppression, the stray monsters, the corruption we all could suffer at any moment!"

Mina stopped right in front of Lekmet, and put her foot on his chest as she proclaimed:

"They treated all of existence, including our kind, as mere insects. And whether by my hand or someone else, they won't be allowed to opress us all over again!"

"Mina, don't you think there's another way to do this?" Skullnick pointed out as she and the teachers went to Brittney's side. "I mean, messing with a member of the Magic High Commission could bring us trouble, why don't we just send him elsewhere?"

"Not until we convince him to send a message to his fellow councilmates!" Mina shouted. "The message that Earth won't sit back and let itself be manipulated by the commission and their mewman allies' hands!"

A couple seconds later, Mina smiled and blinked her sole visible eye at the chairman, who only tilted his head in confusion.

As for Brittney, she remained motionless as Mrs. Skullnick lifted her, and remained like that until she suddenly whistled, causing her fellow cheerleaders to come out of hiding and attack, or at the very least distract, the teachers, allowing Brittney to run and get in between Mina and the goat-like chairman.

"Step out of the way, kid!" Mina barked in exasperation. "This is between me and the goat monster!"

"We're past the ages where we treated monsters like this, Mina! There has to be a better way to deal with him!" Brittney exclaimed. "And if you want to beat him up regardless, then you'll have to go through with me!"

Mina narrowed her eyes and raised her arm just in time for Janna to shout:

"Truth Whip!"

Mina's arm was wrapped in a yellow energy whip, but the former mewman just swung her arm forward, breaking the whip and causing Janna to crash nearby the cheerleader-goat monster duo.

"Why am I not not surprised to see you, Janna?" Mina asked as Janna got up and dusted herself. "You're here to help Brittney, aren't you?"

"Don't misunderstand my intentions, Mina," Janna stated as she walked to Brittney's side. "I neither know nor care about this monster over here, but I need to watch over the closest thing I have to a sister. Which, unfortunately, happens to be Brittney."

Brittney rolled her eyes. "Well, geez, thanks Janna, I appreciate that."

Mina raised an eyebrow. "So, neither of you are going to step out of my way?"

Janna and Brittney just silently glared at the teacher, who cracked her knuckles, ready to fight as both her and Brittney's covered eyes glew brightly...


	10. Battle of Aces

**Alright, this has been long overdue, so let's get the party started! Star pays her debt, and in more exciting news, Mina's actually going to fight! Woo!**

 **But first, let's answer some reviews!:**

 **1) Nobody245:**

 *** I guess you could say the Hearts/Star coin is worth a dollar, the Diamond/Moon coin would be worth ten dollars, the Clubs/Meteora coin would be worth twenty dollars, the Spades/Eclipsa coin would be worth fifty dollars, and the Circled Star/Celena coin would be worth a hundred.**

 **And in case you think it doesn't add up, remember this: Pixies are stingy creatures.**

 *** He came there looking for food.**

 **2) Allen Vth:**

 *** Yeah, Brittney's such a go-to target for "mean" characters, I wanted to change things up.**

 *** The cheerleaders' loyalty... maybe I could touch upon that later.**

 *** Janna's there too, you know?**

 *** Pixies are savages for their tiny sizes.**

 *** Let me be blunt: If you know who the Council of Queens are, but are neither a Mewman nor obligated to like them, you WILL throw shade at their direction one way or another.**

 *** Yeah, and most importantly: Can TomStar/Storm still happen? Because let's be honest, shipping is seemingly the only thing people care about nowadays.**

 **And now, to the chapter!**

—

 _ **Earth skies...**_

The Lucitor carriage flew across the skies of the Earth dimension as it took it's time reaching the tower.

Not that everybody appreciated this, because while Hekapoo and Tom talked about stuff in a friendly manner, Star stared at them with contempt, which they eventually noticed.

"Is something wrong, Star?" Tom asked, getting the Queen of Hearts' attention. "You've been looking at us angrily for a while now."

"Hmph, what, am I not allowed to be cranky when I don't get enough sleep?" Star closed her eyes and looked elsewhere. "Besides, my girlfriend and my ex-fiance are chatting like they were old pals, right in my face!"

Hekapoo raised an eyebrow. "Beautyfly, we _are_ old pals."

Star folded her arms and put a pouty face. "That's no excuse!"

"See, I told you this would happen," Tom remarked. "Even after telling her I'm not into girls, she still gets jealous whenever she sees me with a girl or a guy."

"She does the same with me, honestly," Hekapoo put her arms behind her head. "Like mother, like daughter, it seems."

Star snapped, "Hey, what's that supposed to mean!?"

"Star, I've been working with the council, and your mother Moon, long enough to be able to spot when parents and children share certain traits," Hekapoo smirked. "And believe me, Beautyfly, your mother acted just as jealous as you when she was your age."

Star looked at the ground. "Now that you mention her, I do wonder how she's doing. Do you think she might be worried that I haven't returned yet?"

Suddenly, the carriage hit a bump and promptly stopped, causing Tom to say, "I think we've arrived."

The trio got out of the carriage, and looked around their destination: the first floor of the tower, which only had one working teleporter; the one leading directly to the top floor.

"Welcome to the tower, Star," Tom said as the Queen of Hearts looked around. "This is a structure built by both humans and monsters to provide the normal monsters a safe place to rest and live alongside humans, while also hiding from stray monsters."

Star raised an eyebrow. "Stray monster?"

"That's what the humans call a monster that's either too feral to be considered sentient, or a normal monster that has been broken into acting like such," Tom somberly explained. "Anyway, let's go to the teleporter, unless you'd rather try walking up 107 floors to pay your debt."

Star flinched. "Wait, this place has 107 floors?!"

"108 to be exact," Tom rolled his eyes. "And the original plan for the tower involved it having _667_ floors."

"Yeah, I'll take the teleporter, thank you very much," Star stated. "Come on, Hekapoo."

However, she got no response. "Hekapoo?"

The duo turned around and spotted Hekapoo staring at the distance, shortly before she opened a portal on the ground and went through it, closing it afterwards.

"Where did she go?" Tom raised an eyebrow.

"Dunno, she's probably checking something elsewhere," Star walked to the teleporter. "Anyway, come on, we have to go now!"

Tom shrugged, then followed Star, the duo being teleported just as they expressed slight discomfort at being so close together.

 _ **Meanwhile, on Mewni Castle...**_

Moon and River were peacefully sleeping on their bed, River sleeping normally at the edge, and Moon resting at the other edge, hugging a giant body-sized pillow.

Barely moments afterwards, the alarms blared everywhere, the room flashing red sporadically as Moon yelped and fell off her side of the bed onto the floor.

"Oh well, as long as it's not another morning wood, I guess I can't complain," Moon said to herself as she got up and dusted herself. "Still, another alarm in the middle of the night? This can't be a mere coincidence-"

Suddenly, Meteora barged into the room. "Moon, we have to-!"

Then she noticed the body pillow. "What the heck is that?"

"I dunno, Eclipsa found it in one of her "crusades" and handed it to me when she found out it originated on Earth," Moon rolled her eyes. "Anyway, what were you saying?"

"Right, this is an important emergency!" Meteora walked to Moon and put her hands on her shoulders. "The Ace of Spades and Clubs have been detected!"

Moon grimaced, and before she knew it, both she and Meteora went to the teleporters and teleported straight to the meeting room. Once there, they found Rhombulus and Eclipsa staring at Omnitraxus' guts, which displayed a pair of flashing symbols: a spade and a club.

"We came here as fast as we could!" Moon stated as she and Meteora ran to Eclipsa's side. "I was in the middle of... dreaming about something, when the alarms blared."

"Dreaming about something, huh? I find that hard to believe," Eclipsa smiled in a sly manner. "What was this dream about? Maybe it was about a _certain ex-girlfriend_ of yours?"

"Mom, don't act so smug, at least Moon doesn't cry herself to sleep," Meteora sternly stated, turning to Omnitraxus as Eclipsa winced. "Anyway, you found the Aces of Spades and Clubs, right?"

"Yes, but before I reveal who they are, I must let you know that they're in the middle of an intense fight," Omnitraxus scratched his bony chin. "If you want to capture them, and I assume you do, then we need to come up with a plan."

"Specially if these Aces are in the middle of a fight," Meteora folded her arms. "We _could_ send some of our knights to get them, but one ace is hard enough to capture; two would be nearly impossible."

"Then why don't we just watch them fight until one beats the other?" Rhombulus suggested. "Then we send some scouts to capture whichever ace was defeated."

The room was met with a pregnant silence, besides Moon's proud clapping. "That's my boy!"

Rhombulus blushed and looked elsewhere as Omnitraxus told Meteora and Eclipsa:

"You two, get some scouts ready for takeoff. Moon, Rhombulus, and I will stay here and keep you updated on the situation."

Meteora nodded, and dragged her mother with her before she got the chance to complain, like always. And with them gone, Omnitraxus morphed his guts to show the full fight of the Aces...

 _ **Back on Earth...**_

Lekmet ran away as the battle between the teachers and the cheerleaders-and Janna-raged on, with him landing in the same spot where Hekapoo's portal opened above.

The fiery redhead came out of the portal, and landed right on top of the chairman, causing him to collapse on the ground.

"Lekmet! Oh thank goodness you're still safe!" Hekapoo said as she got up and helped the goat-like chairman stand up as well. "Come on, we need to get out of here, right now!"

Lekmet refused to budge and bleated, prompting an exasperated response:

"Lekmet, nobody in the council but Rhombulus understands your bleating! If you wanna "say" something, you'll have to point it!"

The goat pointed at the fight nearby, then quickly pointed at Brittney next.

"Yes, I see the fight, and the human that seems to have animalistic traits," Hekapoo folded her arms. "What about her?"

Lekmet gestured in a way to imply feeding.

Hekapoo was horrified. "You wanna eat her?!"

The chairman corrected his gesture, and Hekapoo got it this time, "Oh, _she_ fed _you_. Yeah, okay, that makes more sense, but what does that have to do with anything?"

Lekmet pointed at the ground.

"You wanna stay here for her..." Hekapoo paused as Lekmet did some more gestures. "So you can help her if needed?"

Lekmet nodded.

"... You're an enigma, Lekmet, you really are. But okay, we'll stay here for a moment," Hekapoo narrowed her eyes. "On one condition: Once things get dire, we'll get the underworld out of here, no questions asked, got it?"

The chairman nodded once again, and he and Hekapoo his behind some bushes, where they watched the fight from the shadows.

As for the fight, Brittney swung her claws directly at Mina, who simply dodged the incoming attacks with little issue or effort, at least until she grabbed Brittney's arms and interlocked eyes with her.

"You know you can't win this fight, Brittney." Mina sternly stated. "Step aside and let me deal with Lekmet myself!"

Brittney's response? To headbutt Mina and knee her in the gut, freeing the girl in the process. However, when she tried to attack, Mina simple grabbed her arm and swung her away, all while she caught her breath.

And then, to further aggravate her perhaps, Janna shouted:

"Helios' Light!"

An intense light flashed in front of Mina, causing her to close her eyes as Janna ran after her... and smacked her multiple times with her grimoire.

When Mina inevitably stopped the attack, she only had one thing to say:

"Are you for real!?"

Mina then kicked Janna and her grimoire off into some trees, getting the book to open and release Alfonzo and Ferguson, who seemed rather dizzy.

"I'm not someone who agrees with the enemy, but this time, I must make an exception," Ferguson stated, scratching his head. "I mean, what made you think getting _physical_ with the _magical_ grimoire was a good idea, Janna?!"

"Oh, shut up and hear me out, will you?!" Janna snapped as she stood up. "I have an idea on how we can deal with Mina, so listen up."

Back with Mina, the former mewman turned around and spotted Brittney getting ready to attack again.

"Brittney, I know you're only doing this because you're thinking with your emotions, and not with your mind," Mina sternly stated. "Now, be honest with me; Do you honestly, legitimately believe someone like Lekmet _deserves_ mercy?"

Brittney looked at the ground somberly. "I'll admit that I recognize that Lekmet has done some bad things in the past, the whole Commission has. Our history with monsters confirms it altogether."

The cheerleader captain looked back at Mina and prepared to lunge towards her. "But that doesn't mean we can't convince him that humanity's worth his time!"

"Heh, you're even speaking like her," Mina narrowed her eyes. "You can't even understand him, nor can he properly speak. Do you really think he'll even understand?"

"He's _not_ a stray monster, Mrs. Mina!" Brittney gritted her teeth. "Just 'cause he's not like other monsters doesn't mean you should treat him as such!"

Brittney immediately lunged at Mina, but was caught off-guard when the warrior actually teleported right behind her, then grab her by the back of her shirt.

"Listen, Brittney, I'm sorry to tell you this-mostly because I'd rather show it-but I've never been a fan of monsters," Mina tightened her grip. "You can talk all you want, but nothing you say will ever convince me to let a monster, specially one like Lekmet, leave unscathed."

Mina swung her arm and threw Brittney towards the school's walls, the Ace of Spades leaving a crack on the wall upon impact.

However, Brittney soon got back up afterwards and ran towards Mina, who cracked her knuckles as Brittney's left eye started glowing. The Ace then spread out her claws and swung them at the warrior, who dodged most of the slashes...

Except for one, which cut open a small wound on her cheek, causing it to bleed. Mina checked it, and as soon as she confirmed she really was bleeding, she saw Brittney catching her breath, her fangs and claws in full view as not only her lock of her, but the front side of her hair had turned pink.

She was also surrounded by a red, fiery aura, with some kind of figure slightly visible inside these flames, sporting a worried look.

"What?!" Mina took a step back. "Already?!"

In a flash, Brittney disappeared from her spot and unleashed a rapid barrage of slashes against the ex-Mewman, who barely had time to react. By the end of said barrage, Mina's body was covered in scratches, and her dress was left in a messy state.

Not only that, but her hair was crudely cut! Oh the horror!

" _Damn it, I didn't think Celena would take control of her so quickly!_ " Mina thought to herself as "Brittney" prepared to strike again. " _I didn't wanna get my hands dirty, but there's no other way around it now that she's here!_ "

Brittney lunged towards Mina, but the Ace of Clubs simply teleported behind her and kicked her in the gut, stunning her long enough to allow Mina to follow up with several more strikes, teleporting once in a while to confuse the girl. To finish the job, she grabbed Brittney, threw her up in the air, then jumped and headbutted her straight into the ground.

Once he saw that, Lekmet tried to come out to help her, but Hekapoo stopped him and opened a portal, saying "Okay, things got dire enough!" as she and Lekmet leaped through the portal.

And as the portal closed itself out of existence, Brittney remained there motionless as her hair color turned back to normal, and Mina went to and got close to her chest, to listen for heartbeats.

And fortunately, she heard a couple soon afterwards.

"Hey, Mina!"

The warrior stood up and turned, spotting Janna in the distance, wearing a helmet and a pair of gauntlets.

"Aren't you forgetting someone?!"

 _ **Back at The Tower...**_

Tom and Star were teleported to the top floor, with Star quickly pushing off Tom to get some space.

"Finally, some personal space!" Star said as she stretched. "Seriously, it was so tight, I almost thought you were doing it on purpose."

Tom stood up and scoffed, "You know, it's times like this that I can't figure out whether you're acting like that because you're cranky, upset, or whatever, or because that's just how you act in general."

Star, however, was having none of that. "Shut up and lead me to the master of this place already."

"I'm right here."

Star and Tom turned to see the behemoth clouded in shadows, who leaned closer to reveal his true form: Globgor, who stared sternly at Star as she and Tom walked towards him.

"Globgor, the King of monsters," Star stated. "Listen, Tom over here told me a person I owe something is in this tower. I need to see him right away."

Globgor raised an eyebrow. "What's his name?"

Star's stern composure immediately evaporated. "Oh, his name? Well... thing is, I don't-"

"He didn't tell you his name?" Globgor guessed.

"Oh no, he did, I just forgot what it was," Star scratched her chin. "I know! I'll tell you what he looked like, and that should let you know who he is!"

"You don't remember his name?" Tom asked in disbelief.

"No, I don't," Star bluntly answered. "Now shut up and let me remember how he looked like."

"You _don't_ remember his _name?!_ " Tom snapped.

" _What did I say!?_ " Star yelled back at the Demon King, before she continued to try remember. "He was a head taller than me... Brown hair and eye... oh, and his right eye was closed and it has a scar running down his right cheek!"

Globgor hummed as he thought about it, then snapped his fingers, causing Marco to come out of the shadows and land right in front of Star.

However, he looked a tad... different; Several bone-like structure sprouted from his body, his left eye remained black but with a red, glowing pupil, and he had some kind of bone-like helmet that made it look like he was wearing a skull. Oh, and he had a ponytail on the back of his head, one that ended in tentacles.

If Star's thoughts could speak, they'd probably be begging to be facing her dream interpretation of this Marco right now.

"Hi, long time no see..." Star nervously greeted. "I came here to pay my debt... um..."

"His name's Marco, Star," Tom bitterly corrected. "Seriously, the least you could after turning him into this, is remember his name!"

"I didn't turn him into this skeletal... thing!" Star snapped at the Demon King, only to worriedly turn back to Marco. "I didn't, right?"

"The attack you did against him greately damaged his very soul, giving the magic within him an easier way of corrupting him," Globgor sternly explained. "If I had not turned him into a wight, he probably would've turned into a monster by now."

Star looked up to see the King of Monsters' glare, then turned back to the wight Marco.

"Okay, let me skip the negotiation, potentially saying stuff that could offend you," Star reached for her back and took out the 200 dollars she owed. "And just pay you right away."

The wight boy looked at the money with confusion.

"It's the money for the Pony Head horn I... took," Star nervously explained. "You said it was 200 dollars, and there you go, just the right amount of money to pay off my debt... right?"

Marco grabbed the money, counted it, then saved it behind his back before throwing a glare at Star's direction. He kept the glare and hissed at the Queen of Hearts as he got on all four and crawled back to Globgor's side, disappearing into the darkness surrounding him.

Perturbed, Star faced the exit. "Okay, I'll take that as a clue that I should leave now-"

"Actually, before you go," Globgor spoke. "There's something I need to tell you."

"Globgor, I'd be happy to hear whatever you have to say, but I don't have time for this," Star walked past, Tom. "Come on, Tommy, we should go-"

Tom grabbed Star's arm and pulled her so they met face-to-face. "We came here on _my_ carriage, so we're leaving on _my_ terms!"

Tom pushed Star back to her previous spot. "You will first listen to what Globgor has to say, it's the least you can do after you killed one of his sons!"

Star flinched, glanced at Marco's glowing eyes in the darkness, then looked up to Globgor before exclaiming:

" _He's_ your _**son!?**_ "

 _ **Back at the Academy...**_

The teachers continued to fight against the cheerleaders, with Mrs. Skullnick facing off against Sabrina.

"Why fight me of all people, Mrs. Backintosh?!" Mrs. skullnick snapped. "You know that as a troll, I could break your bones with ease, right?!"

"So what?! I'm used to broken bones by now!" Sabrina snapped in return. "If you wanna get rid of me, you're gonna have to pull off something out of your sleeve!"

Just then, though not from Mrs. Skullnick's sleeve, a fireball came out of the sky and hit Sabrina... right in the butt, causing her to run away as the source of the fireball made himself present:

It was Mr. Candle, the school counselor, who had both his arms surrounded by blue flames.

"Mr. Candle!" Mrs. Skullnick exclaimed in relief. "About time you showed up!"

"Sorry for taking so long, I was busy meditating when a student came to me and told me about the situation," the councelor stretched a bit. "So, you need help with a monster?"

"The monster already escaped," Skullnick sternly stated. "Now we're just trying to get these cheerleaders to stop pestering us!"

Mr. Candle turned to the cheerleaders and narrowed his eyes, ready to help with the teenagers.

As for Janna and Mina, the former ran up close to the latter and threw several punches at her direction, with the warrioress just casually dodging the attacks.

"I don't get it, Brittney just gave you a beating!" Janna exclaimed as she got ready to punch again. "How are you acting like nothing happened!?"

Janna threw a punch, and mina grabbed it as she explained, "Don't get the wrong idea: I _am_ hurt, I'm just not hurt enough to not be able to dodge flimsy attacks like yours."

Mina smacked Janna away, but she simply aimed her gauntlets to her back and shoot them, propelling her right in the middle of Mina's way to Brittney.

"Don't think that you can deter me so easily!" Janna snapped at the ex-Mewman. "This has gone long enough! I'm not letting you hurt Brittney anymore!"

"I did your friend a favor, Ordonia!" the ex-Mewman exclaimed. "If I had done nothing, she would've been completely corrupted, and the Brittney you know and care for would be gone!"

"Heh, of course, how didn't I expect a former mewman to to try and excuse their horrible actions?" Janna pointed at Mina with stern disdain. "You beat her up into unconsciousness, and all she wanted to do was protect her new monster friend! Sure, she made friends with the wrong monster, but you didn't have to give her such a beating."

Mina rolled her eyes and started walking forward. "I don't have time for this, let's just get this over with."

Janna clenched her fists. "Don't make me do this, Mina..."

The ex-Mewman just continued walking towards the girl, forcing her to strike: She dashed using the boots, then punched Mina straight in the chest with both empowered gloves.

However, while Mina did flinch and step back, this didn't stop her from grabbing Janna's arms, then moving them away before headbutting her, causing a notable crack on her helmet.

Then Janna headbutted back, and this made Mina flinch once again, while also completely destroying the helmet, turning it back into Ferguson.

Mina quickly headbutted again, releasing the girl just as she was sent crashing into Brittney... or so it seemed, for in a brief moment, Mina caught a glimpse of some shadowy... thing, snatching the girls away.

Then said shadowy thing stopped a couple feet behind her, and Mina turned around to see the thing was none other than Angie, whose sun-like cheekmark was back, alongside both her arms being uncovered. She also sported some fire-like markings across her face.

"Mrs. Diaz..." Mina remarked with a hint of curiosity.

Angie continued to stare sternly at the warrioress as Mr. Candle arrived as well, grabbing Janna as she stood by Mrs. Diaz's side.

 _ **Back at The Tower...**_

Star and Globgor sat down, the former on a chair she conjured up, the latter on the ground, and had tea while the wight Marco and Tom played nearby, with Tom almost treating "Wightco" like a puppy at times.

"Okay, start from the very beginning!" Star exclaimed, taking a sip of her tea. "How in the living heck did you manage to breed with a human!? I mean, at least with Eclipsa, she could use magic to fix some of the issues, but humans don't naturally have magic!"

Globgor calmly took a sip of his tea... which, given his size, meant he drank it all in one go. "As much as I would like to explain how is Marco my son, I would rather not have you remind me of my ex-wife with your disrespectful nature."

The King of Monsters leaned forward. "For starters, call me by my proper title, King Globgor."

"You're a king?" Star raised an eyebrow. "From Eclipsa and Meteora's words, I thought you were a peasent."

"On Mewni, I was, but being the strongest monster on Earth earned me the title of king somehow," Globgor folded his arms. "Now, call me by my proper title."

Star looked elsewhere in exasperation. "Should I really do that? You're not a king by birth, after all."

Globgor immediately grabbed Star with his hand and lifted her straight to his face as Tom and Marco watched the sight with shock, the former clutching the latter's hand.

"Okay, alright, sorry for being disrespectful, I'll be polite from now on... King Globgor!" Star stated as she desperately tried to catch her breath. "Now, could you please put me down?! I can barely breath!"

Globgor narrowed his eyes and literally dropped Star, with him stating sternly as he saw the Queen of Hearts gasping for air:

"It's one thing to have a bad attitude, but it's another thing to have a deathwish. I'll let you live for now, Queen of Hearts, but remember that next time you act like this against someone clearly stronger than you, then I can't guarantee you'll live to tell the tale."

"Yeah, alright, noted," Star took a deep breath, then wobbled a bit as she stood up. "Oh man, I'm feeling a little lightheaded. Give me... give me a second."

Star took a couple of breaths, and Globgor too the chance to explain:

"I'm a highly venerated figure on Earth, thanks to my help in in keeping Human-Monster relations at a friendly level. There's a distinguished group of humans that follow me, which are considered my children. Marco's part of that group."

"Oh... I-I see..." Star raised an eyebrow. "So, he's not a Human-Monster hybrid, then?"

"Oh no, he definitely," Globgor shook his head. "But his monster half isn't of a monster that can be specified, at least not without extended research."

"I see... well, I paid my debt, and we're more or less on decent terms," Star sighed. "Do you mind if I leave now?"

"One more thing: I'm deeply enraged by your irrational decision to send him near death's door... for a stupid horn," Globgor narrowed his eyes. "I want you to leave him, and the Earth, alone. You and your kind have done enough damage to them."

Star flinched as Globgor added:

"Hurt him again, or lord forbid, _kill him_ for real... _And I will paint the streets_ _ **with your people's blood.**_ "

With that said, Tom brushed Marco's hair and stood up. "Okay, I believe that'll do. Thanks for hearing her out, your majesty."

Tom walked past Star, but not before whispering to her ear:

"Be sure to tell your fellow matriarchs about this as well. This is a fight you're _very_ unlikely to win, so I suggest you do as he says."

Star nodded, stood up, and followed Tom back to his carriage.

"Queen of Hearts, one more thing, for real this time..."

Star turned around, sighing in frustration to listen to Globgor's statement:

"Tell Meteora I said hi."

Star tiredly gave the King of Monsters a thumbs up, then rolled her eyes as she followed Tom back to his carriage, finally leaving the building.

 _ **Mina and the others..  
**_  
Janna looked up and saw who was holding her. "M-Mr. Candle? H-How did you-?"

"A student came to my office and told me what was going on," Mr. Candle answered, not taking his eyes off Mina. "The instant she mentioned you were in danger, I just couldn't sit back and do nothing."

Janna frowned. "Who told you that?"

"I did."

Everybody turned around and saw Jackie standing at the sidelines. "I got scared when Janna didn't return with Brittney right away, so I did the only thing I could think of."

"Jackie..." Mina remarked in surprise.

However, her attention was caught when she saw a pair of portals starting to open, which she immediately recognized.

"Mrs. Diaz, Mr. candle, take the girls and go!" Mina ordered.

"What?" the adults asked in unison.

Mina promptly snapped, "Listen up, you two; some unpleasent people are coming, and if you don't want your "kids" to get hurt anymore for today, then get out of here!"

Then she turned to the teachers and the defeated cheerleaders. "That goes for you too!"

"You heard the battle expert!" Skullnick exclaimed. "Everybody to the safe rooms!"

The teachers helped the cheerleaders get up, and they, Mrs. Diaz, Mr. Candle, Janna, and Brittney ran back inside to the safe rooms, with Mrs. Diaz taking one last look at Mina before she followed everybody inside.

With them out of sight, Mina faced the portals, which fully opened to reveal one was club-shaped, and the other spade-shaped. From these portals came out three scouts, two from the club portal, one from the spade portal, and they looked around before the spade scout took out a pigeon from her back. The pigeon then opened it's eyes and mouth, reveal it was a robot.

"Queen Eclipsa, this is scout Higgs reporting," Higgs told the pigeon. "Tad, Kelly, and I are in the Earth dimension."

"Good, find the Ace of clubs and get the heck out of there," Eclipsa barked from the other end as Mina approached Higgs. "The longer you stay there, the more time the maginuchs will infect you with their "maginuchness."

Mina snatched the pigeon away, angering Higgs. "Hey! that's mine!"

All Mina had to do was throw a glare at the scout, and she immediately took back what she said.

"W-Well, it's mine, but I can share," Higgs hid behind the other scout. "Just give it back when you're done, okay!?"

Mina turned back to the pigeon. "Is this Eclipsa?"

The Queen of the Void narrowed her eyes. "What do you want, Mina?"

"Yeah, I just noticed that one of your troops and two of Meteora's came to capture the ace I just beat up," Mina recapped, narrowing her eyes as she sternly finished, "Is that true?"

"Well, yeah," Eclipsa put her hand on her hip. "I need to get the aces, so I can extract their fragments somehow."

"Uh huh. Answer this: You're a firm Maginuch hater, right?" Mina inquired. "Primarily concerning maginuchs from Earth?"

Eclipsa raised an eyebrow. "They're the very scourge of the universe, who are responsible for Mewni falling apart, who wouldn't hate them?"

Moon, Meteora, Omnitraxus, and Rhombulus threw angry looks at Eclipsa just as Mina answered:

"Someone who's been living with them for the past hundreds of years."

The council flinched, while Omnitraxus and Rhombulus exchanged worried gazes.

"Now listen up, you petty, childish excuse for a Queen of Mewni," Mina stated, causing Eclipsa's eye to twitch. "You may think that just because you were Celena's favorite spoiled "daughter", that it will be enough to scare me into pleading for you to release her, but sadly, that won't be the case."

Mina narrowed her eyes. "I'm not letting you touch a single strand of her hair."

"And what are you gonna do about it?" Eclipsa scoffed. "I have an entire legion under my control, and you're just one. You don't even have magical powers anymore!"

"Mom, I seriously think you should cut the call and continue with the plan-" Meteora remarked.

The Queen of the Void interrupted, "Shush, Meteora, the adults are talking."

Moon narrowed her eyes. "Eclipsa, please listen to what your daughter-"

Eclipsa interjected once more. "Shush, Moon, the _young_ people are talking."

Moon's nerve was struck, and it was only through Meteora holding her back that she didn't beat up Eclipsa right then and there.

"Let's recap: I'm supposedly the leader of the revolution that took Celena's life, or at least made her unavailable for some time now. This did a number on the kingdom of Mewni, turning it into crappy place to live," Mina stated. "And you'd rather capture an ace I beat up rather than me?"

Eclipsa rolled her eyes. "I'm being pragmatic."

"You're being a coward, and in a culture as militaristic as Mewni, that's simply unacceptable," Mina stated. "And being this cowardly in front of your co-workers, I wonder what they think... what Moon thinks..."

Mina smirked. "What _Meteora_ thinks."

Moon and Meteora gasped as Eclipsa fell silent, before snapping, "Don't you dare get her involved!"

"Wow, Mom used to be so cool! All those stories Aunt Festivia and Celena told me about her made her seem like the coolest person ever!" Mina spoke in a voice that tried to imitate Meteora's. "But now that I see her acting like this, I wonder if they lied to me."

"I don't sound like that!" Meteora snapped, only to turn to Moon. "I don't, right?"

"Why is Mom not avenging Aunt Celena?" Mina continued. "Why is Mom taking the easy way out?"

And then she said something that struck a nerve:

"Why did Mom abandon me all those centuries ago?"

From the other end of the call, Eclipsa yelled "shut up!" at the top of her lungs, and continued repeating it as Mina just smirked with delight.

"There's only one way to shut me up, Eclipsa: Pick the right choice. The _Mewman_ choice." Mina narrowed her eyes. "Don't pick that choice, and, well, let's just say Meteora's gonna be heartbroken."

"You... You... You..." Eclipsa repeated, her rage slowly building up.

"Don't listen to her, Mom!" Meteora exclaimed. "She's just trying to play with your mind! Hang up and let's continue with the plan, please!"

"Make a choice now, Eclipsa," Mina smirked. "You either capture the Ace of Clubs, and prove you're a nothing but a coward who preys on the weak, or you take me in, the supposed slayer of your so beloved Celena, and face me instead."

Mina narrowed her eyes. "Or you could say nothing... and let me decide for you. And I think we both know what I'll choose."

Eclipsa remained silent for a moment, then spoke once Mina handed back the pigeon. "Higgs, are you there?"

"Yes, Queen Eclipsa," Higgs answered. Do you-"

"There's been a change of plan."

Higgs swallowed her fear. "Yes, my lady?"

"I want you and Kelly to take Mina back to Mewni, we'll deal with the other ace later," Eclipsa stated with a tone as subdued as it was angry. "Use of brutality is mandatory, effective _now_."

Kelly quickly snatched Higgs' pigeon. "B-But, your majesty, you realize what she's doing, right?!"

"Are you part of my legion, Kelly?"

"No..."

"Did I _ask_ for your opinion?"

"... No..."

"Then shut up, _and do as I say._ "

The pigeon turned off, and Higgs took out a baton from her back and walked to mina, saying, "Sorry, Mina, but the boss has spoken. I assure you, though, I won't have any enjoyment beating you."

"I bet you would if Eclipsa told you to, though," Mina leaned closer to the spade scout. "After all, whether it's your matriarch or your own knight, you follow their words without a second thought. That's all a squire's good for, after all."

"On second thought, I take it back," Higgs tightened her grip. "I'm going to enjoy beating the everloving lights out of you!"

Higgs swung her baton, and mina saw stars right before she lost consciousness.


	11. Ace Interrogation

**So, last chapter ended with Mina being taken away to Mewni by some of Eclipsa and Meteora's troops, with a healthy dose of a beating as well. And seeing how time works differently in Mewni than it does on Earth-and somebody please tell me, was that ever explored on the show, or do they just so happen to share the same timeframe?-I think you can already tell what this chapter will be about.**

 **Don't worry, though, we'll get back to Earth-centric stuff soon. Shoving Earth to the background was something the show did that I want to fix as soon as possible.**

 **And you may be wondering why I'm posting this chapter now rather than later. Well, a few reasons:**

 **1) I'm very excited to see what you guys think of the lore/flashback stuff revealed.**

 **2) It let's me update you on how I'm doing: I moved to a new apartment with mom and sis. Wifi's a bit slow, but it's there, thankfully.**

 **3) Scott Cawthon was a huge inspiration for me. Okay, not really, but you get the idea XD**

 **I'm not going to update twice a week like this time, however. It will be exclusively on fridays, or weekends if I miss the day.**

 **Also, before anybody worries about Chains of Reality, I'm working on that story as well as this one, but again, I won't update it until the Proto-Lana arc is finished, so, it'll be a while before the main story continues. But I'm not giving up on it!**

 **Before we move on, let's reply to some reviews:**

 **1) Nobody245:**

 *** Are there other members? Yes. Will we see them anytime soon? You already did.**

 *** Globgor's warning didn't fall on deaf ears, at least in Star's case. It depends whether Moon, Meteora, and Eclipsa listen to the message.**

 ***It's been entirely questions with you, I notice. Is there anything you would like to add, or do only questions come to mind? I'm not angry, just curious, I appreciate the questions all the same.**

 **2) Cressida123: Moon loves _both_ Mina and River, but in different ways. And I'm happy you're enjoying the fic so far. :)**

 **3) Allen Vth:**

 *** Sometimes we push ourselves, but it's not enough. A lesson Brittney learned once again.**

 *** Eclipsa has a lot of buttons.**

 *** Not in the present, but the past...**

 *** Mina and Globgor aren't that close, so he probably wouldn't care. And this chapter may explain a load of things, but what happened to Marco isn't one of them.**

 *** He'll be on decent terms with her, at the very least.**

 **And now, to the chapter!**

* * *

 _ **Diaz Household, Marco's Bedroom...**_

Mrs. Diaz tucked Janna and Jackie on Marco's bed, while Brittney looked at the window with a forlorn look.

"Girls, you have your own bedrooms, you know?" Mrs. Diaz pointed out. "Don't you think it would be a better idea to sleep there tonight?"

"No way, Mrs. Diaz," Janna shook her head. "Not a chance."

"This place is the closest thing we have to Marco being present with us," Jackie frowned. "If we sleep anywhere else, it'll truly feel like he's gone."

"You miss him that badly, huh?" the redheaded mother asked, earning a nod from the girls. "Well, I understand where you're coming from. Just please, when he returns, sleep in your own bedrooms, okay?"

"Why?" Janna tilted her head. "Is there something wrong with us sleeping in Marco's bedroom?"

"No, I'm just worried either of you may wind up destroying it in one of your little fights," Mrs. Diaz stated. "You know, just like last time."

Janna and Jackie fell silent, and promptly went to sleep as Mrs. Diaz went to the drawer and took out Janna's grimoire from there, with audible snickering coming from it.

"How much did you hear?" the woman inquired.

"Everything," Ferguson answered, trying to hold back his laughter.

"You really rendered Janna speechless, huh?" Alfonzo added. "I wish I knew how to do that."

"Hey!" Janna yelled from her spot.

"I may teach you how to do it someday," Mrs. Diaz said.

"HEY!" Janna yelled even louder.

"But for now, it's time to go to sleep," Mrs. Diaz opened the book, allowing Alfonzo and Ferguson to come out. "Goodnight, boys."

"Goddnight, Mrs. Diaz," the book-bounded guys answered in unison.

The redheaded woman promptly gave both guys a kiss on the cheek, with them blatantly blushing as she closed the book, sending them right back inside it.

The only one left was Brittney, who continued to look through the window as Angie approached her.

"Brittney, sweetie, that's enough stargazing for today," Mrs. Diaz stated. "Time to go to sleep."

Brittney didn't respond: she just continued staring at the window.

This got the woman concerned. "Brittney... is something wrong?"

Brittney nodded.

"Then, could you tell me about it?"

Brittney shook her head.

With that gesture, Angie took a deep breath, left the room, and searched for her husband until she found him guarding the artifacts in the garage.

"Hi, honey, I'm just guarding the artifacts like I was supposed to," Rafael said, his tone growing concerned once he saw his wife's worried look. "Is something the matter?"

"Jackie and Janna are ready for bed, but Brittney's upset about something and she doesn't want to tell me!" Mrs. Diaz answered. "Whenever one of the girls or... Marco... don't want to tell me something, they'll usually feel more comfortable telling _you_ about it, so, could you please talk to her?"

Rafael sighed, and walked to the room, Angie taking over his shift as the man approached Brittney, who continued staring through the window.

"Brittney?"

The Ace of Spades turned to face Rafael.

"Is there something you'd like to tell me?"

Brittney looked elsewhere. "Maybe..."

Rafael sat next to Brittney and gently brushed her hair, startling her for a moment before she slowly calmed down, up until she took a deep breath and explained:

"On the way to the academy, Janna, Jackie, and I met a goat-like monster, who seemed to be quite hungry. Janna and Jackie thought he was dangerous, but I just saw he was hungry, so... I gave him food."

"That's admittedly a dangerous thing to do, feed a strange, unknown monster, but I understand you were just being polite," Rafael remarked. "What happened next?"

"Janna, Jackie, and I rushed to the academy and he followed us," Brittney shrunk. "Once there, he was attacked by the teachers."

"Also understandable, it's their duty to keep you safe from monsters that suddenly appear on the school," Rafael frowned. "You came to his aid next, right?"

"Yes, with Janna's help," Brittney frowned. "But we fought Mrs. Mina, so we lost in the end. And then... some masked mewman soldiers appeared, and they planned to kidnap me. At least, that's what I think was going on, I couldn't see very well in the safe room."

"But mewmans hate humans like us, so why would they..." Rafael shook his head. "Anyway, you're still here, so clearly they didn't manage to kidnap you, right?"

"No, but in exchange for my freedom... they took Mrs. Mina instead," Brittney started to shed tears. "And before that, the goat-like monster turned out to be Lekmet of the Magic High Commission... I looked for him after everything was done, but I couldn't find him... I don't think he died, but  
.. still..."

Rafael took a deep breath. "Okay, so, you feel bad because Mina was taken away?"

Brittney sniffed, and meekly nodded, trying her hardest to contain her tears... and, once Mr. Diaz hugged her, her shock as well.

"Listen, Brittney, dealing with Lekmet was bad? Yes. Was there a way to prevent Mina from being taken away? Sure. But don't forget that you didn't know it was Lekmet until the damage was already done. You were just trying to be a nice person, nothing more."

Brittney slowly returned the hug as Mr. Diaz added:

"Look, how about we take a little trip to the tower tomorrow, you and I, alone? We'll deal with some monsters, get your mind off things, and maybe even pay a visit to Marco, if you'd like. What do you say?"

Brittney paused, then smiled a little as she answered:

"I would like that, yes."

 _ **Meanwhile, in Mewni...**_

Mina Loveberry slept in her prison cell, completely ignoring the sunlight that was coming from her window, or the looks that Kelly, Tad, and Higgs were throwing at her.

"Three of the Queens are coming to see her and she's still asleep?" Higgs sternly pondered. "She's been sleeping since we got here! What's wrong with her?!"

"She's probably going by the timeframe of Earth," Tad guessed, earning a look from the perplexed redhead. "That place's timeframe is a couple hours later than Mewni. Remember how it was day over there while it was night over here?"

"She can't stay asleep forever, though, the council doesn't like to be kept waiting," Kelly glanced at Mina, and shivered. "But waking up someone like Mina Loveberry is also a bad idea..."

"Geez, you're such a scaredy cat sometimes," Higgs took out a stick, and started beating it against the prison cells. "Hey, Mina, wake up! You're back on Mewni, and it's time you go by _our_ and _not_ the one from Earth, you heard me!?"

"What are you doing?!" Kelly grabbed Higgs' arm. "You're gonna make her angry!"

Higgs, however, was having none of that. "So?! Who would you rather deal with; An angry council, or an angry Mina Loveberry?"

"I sure hope the answer to that is the angry Mina."

Higgs, Kelly, and Tad flinched, and turned around to see Moon, Meteora, and Eclipsa heading towards them as Eclipsa scoffed:

"'Cause you're crazy if think you can deal with us when we're angry."

"G-Greetings, Your Majesties!" the guarding trio bowed down. "It's an honor to see you in person! Again!"

"Yeah, we know, but leave the butt kissing for later," Eclipsa folded her arms. "Is Mina awake yet?"

Suddenly, Mina teleported right next to Eclipsa, and whispered on her ear:

"Did you call me?"

Eclipsa screamed and jumped right into Meteora's arms, dumbfounded at Mina's entrance. "H-How dos you-?!"

"Oh please, the fragment of clubs is the fragment of omnipresence, remember?" Mina pointed out, taking a moment to teleport right on Moon's side before adding, "As long as I'm the Ace of Clubs, I can be anywhere I want."

"Well, be at the interrogation room, then!" Eclipsa barked. "We got some questions to ask you."

Mina raised an eyebrow, but eventually shrugged it off and obliged.

 _ **Interrogation Room...**_

Mina sat on the opposite end of a table in the interrogation room, while the Queens watched her through their side of the one-way mirror.

"Okay, time to squeeze as much information out of her as possible," Eclipsa pounded her knuckles. "Did Rhombulus install those weirdly-named crystals that block the fragment's power?"

"If that wasn't the case, she would've teleported away already," Moon pointed out.

Eclipsa waved her hand in a dismissive manner, and promptly walked into the interrogation room, catching Mina's attention as she sat down and folded her arms.

"Hi Eclipsa, long time no see!" Mina cheerfully greeted. "You look so young! What's your secret? You know, besides being literally frozen in time for centuries."

"Mina, I don't like you, and you don't like me, so let's quit the chit-chat and get to the point already," the Queen of Nothingness narrowed her eyes. "First of all, where did you find the fragment?"

Mina chuckled. "Well, that's a funny story because, I didn't really _find_ the fragment. It's more like the fragment _found_ me..."

 _ **Mina's Flashback...**_

 _It was night time in Echo Creek, and Mina was cleaning the frontyard of the tower._

 _"I was cleaning some stuff at a disclosed location on Earth, because that's just how far I fell from grace, when I heard something."_

 _A buzzing sound caught Mina's attention, and she turned around to see the sound came from a portal that was being opened... via chainsaw?!_

 _"I saw a dimensaw, a special type of chainsaw capable to open portals to another dimension, opening a portal, and from there came out a peculiar monster."_

 _A green, reptillian monster jumped out of the portal, and quickly sealed it shut as Mina took a closer look at him._

 _"I didn't take long to figure out it was a septarian, although, for some reason, he had an artificial, robotic arm. But most importantly..."_

 _The septarian turned around, revealing the clubs fragment in his left eye as he ran towards Mina._

 _"He had the fragment on his left eye. And he was scared of something so much, he tried asking for help."_

 _"Please, you have to help me!" the septarian exclaimed before showing his palms, revealing he had a pair of scissors-like symbols on them. "I'm cursed; no matter where I go, **her** troops always find me! I managed to lose them, but it's only a matter of time before they find me again!"_

 _Mina tilted her head in confusion, before she winced as the septarian ripped off the fragment from his eye._

 _"This is what they're looking for: some odd gem of incredible value," the septarian spoke, covering his empty eye socket with his hand. "I stole it as a bounty hunting job, but it's seriously not worth it!"_

 _Mina looked at the fragment worriedly._

 _"Listen, the mewmans are dangerous enough as they are; with this thing, they could conquer the entire universe!" the septarian added. "Please, this must not fall on their hands again! You must hide it where they'll never find it!"_

 _Mina narrowed her eyes in determination, turned back to the septarian, and nodded with a reassuring smile._

 _ **Present Day...**_

"Okay, so that's how you got the fragment, good to know," Eclipsa raised an eyebrow. "Now, did you find out anything about this septarian after he gave you the fragment?"

What Mina said next struck a chord with Meteora:

"Only his name: Rasticore."

Eclipsa frowned. "Now, tell me... what did you do to that monster after you got the fragment from him?"

Mina smirked. "I did what any sane, merciful person would've done: I killed him."

And as she continued to speak, Meteora's fear towards the former mewman soldiers turned into disdain and hatred:

"After all, he seemed to be really desperate to escape from mewmanity, and can you blame him? Knowing your kind, you would probably torture him, use him as furniture, as a magic target, or really, anything that would've made him wish he was dead."

Then, Mina turned towards the mirror, looked strictly at it, unknowingly interlocking eyes with Meteora in the process, and stated:

"Death was the only escape for him at that point."

Meteora gritted her teeth, and as soon as Eclipsa walked out of the room, the Hybrid Queen stomped her way into the room and sat down, sporting the angriest look she could muster.

"Now listen up, you creep! Mewmanity may have it's faults, but we wouldn't torture, diminish, or mistreat the monsters without a good reason! We probably could've convinced him that there was another way besides death!" Meteora slammed her fist down the table. "And also, what the hell would you know about mercy?! You're a soldier, your job was to kill monsters, and you did it with such delight, showing them mercy probably didn't even cross your mind! And you also tried to kill _me_ for crying out loud!"

Mina wasn't fazed in the slightest. "I tried to kill many hybrids before, you were just the first mewman-monster hybrid I tried to put to sleep."

Meteora narrowed her eyes. "Before I rip that fragment right out of your eye socket, then send you to the dungeons so you can rot in there, is there anything else you wanna add?!"

After a pregnant silence, Mina stated:

"I lied."

Another pregnant silence later, Meteora could only muster "huh?" in confusion.

"I left you traumatized, I won't deny it, so before I could talk to you, I needed you to turn all that fear into something else," Mina smiled. "Rasticore's still alive, he's living in a location I can't tell you about because he'd rather keep his existence secret."

"I see... I'm glad..." Meteora shook her head. "A-Anyway, how did you figure out how to use the fragment's power?"

"I accidentally wished to be somewhere else while working as a janitor, and poof, the fragment did it's thing," Mina put her arms behind her head. "It took me a long while to figure out how the thing worked, but once I did, I never had to worry about being late to anywhere ever again."

"I see..." Meteora scratched her chin, and got an idea. "Okay, I'm out of questions."

The Hybrid Queen hastily left the room, went to Moon's side, and clasped her hands as she chirped, "Now's your turn, Moon!"

"Huh?!" Moon blushed.

"You and Mina were girlfriends, right?" Eclipsa pointed out. "If there's anybody who knows how to squeeze information out of her, it's you!"

"I-I don't know..." Moon put both hands on her cheeks and looked elsewhere. "I-It's been so long... will she still hold feelings for me like she did back then?"

The Queens of the Void and Discipline pushed Moon into the room, saying "only one way to find out!" as Moon sat down and turned to Mina, who briefly flinched.

"Moon..."

"Mina..."

The women exchanged looks for a moment, then quickly turned to look elsewhere.

"S-So... um..." Moon stuttered. "H-Have you... gone anywhere... outside of Earth... using the fragment's power?"

"N-No, not really, I've been content to stay on Earth," Mina sighed. "It has everything I look for in a permanent residence: Nice people, beautiful scenery, hot women-"

Moon snapped, "What?!"

"I-I mean that in a platonic way!" Mina corrected herself. "Even after you took my magic, I haven't fallen for anybody other than you."

"Oh, Mina..."

Suddenly, Moon materialized a giant ice hammer out of thin air and yelled "Don't lie to me!" as she smacked Mina with it, sending her crashing against a wall as Meteora and Eclipsa started to have second thoughts about the former's plan.

"After I took your magic, and after at least a century or two, there's no way you wouldn't have a second flame besides me!" Moon went to Mina and lifted her by the neck of her shirt. "So tell me already, how many are there?! A dozen? _A hundred?_ _ **A thousand?!**_ "

Mina threw an angry look at Moon, and next thing she knew, the Queen of Diamonds laid right next to Meteora and Eclipsa, who lifted her and took her to the nearest emergency station as they spoke:

"Well, that could've gone better," Meteora said. "Shall we leave it there for today?"

"No, we've barely scratched the surface with her, she's clearly hiding more stuff than that!" Eclipsa answered. "We need somebody else to talk to her, but who?"

Meteora sighed, "We can think about that later, for now, let's focus on getting Moon fixed up.

Eclipsa hesitantly nodded, and the duo continued on their way as Mina left the interrogation room, and looked at the trio with worry.

"Geez, I feel sorry for their subordinates."


	12. The Return

**Well, since last chapter was mostly focused on Mewman business, now we'll focus on Human business! That's not to say Mewni won't appear, after all, Moon certainly has to speak with someone after what she thought was up with Mina.**

 **Also, as the title may lead you to believe, a certain someone is coming back this chapter. Someone that's been absent for a while... Not counting chapter 10, of course.**

 **Oh, and don't expect the next few chapters to be insanely long or epic. We need to cooldown after what happened in chapter 10, if they do end up being long, or epic, or both, then it's just an accident.**

 **By the way, 40 favs _and_ follows? This story's certainly getting better reception than I expected. Thanks so much, guys. :)**

 **And yes, I haven't talked about what the new arc's about yet, but I wanna ask first: Do you want me to _tell_ you what it's about? Or do you wanna read the upcoming chapters and _see_ what the arc might be about?**

 **But first, let's answer some reviews!:**

 **1) Nobody245: I don't mind the questions, I was just curious about you asking so much. I appreciate each and every question you ask, so by all means, keep asking and I'll answer to the best of my ability.**

 **And now, to the chapter!**

* * *

It was night time in the kingdom of Mewni, and at the room of Queen Moon and King River, the monarchs themselves sat down and ate their dinner, with Moon sporting several bandages around her face as she spoke:

"So, I go inside to meet Mina, right? And everything's going fine, straight out of a cheesy romance manga, but fine. And then, she _lies_ to me by saying she never once had a second love after me!"

"Are you sure she was lying, honey?" River asked, taking a bite out of a piece of pork. "I mean, hundreds of years is enough time to fall in love again, I agree, but wouldn't she need to worry about surviving her new environment first?"

"Mina's a fast learner, it probably only took her a day to figure out how to survive on Earth," Moon gulped down a large portion of her drink... Which, once put down, was revealed to be corn syrup. "So *hick* she then has the *hick* audacity to try *hick" lying to me again by say*hick*ing even if she had a thou*hick*sand lovers, she'd still lo*hick*ve me the same!"

River snatched the corn syrup and leaned back as Moon leaned forward and shouted, "Can you believe her?!"

Moon hit the table face-first, and River spoke, "I believe you're both drunk and blowing things _way_ out of proportion. I say you should take something to detoxicate yourself and go to sleep."

Moon opened her mouth, muttering "fine" as she suddenly got an image of a cheerful, smiling Mina, which brought her to tears. "Mina..."

Mere moments later, Moon stood up and yelled to the heavens:

"I'll *hick* get you back someday, my love!"

 _ **Meanwhile, on Earth...**_

Mr. Diaz put on a cloak that covered his body and grabbed a backpack and left the house, shortly followed by Brittney, who was wearing a similar body-covering cloak.

"Are you ready to go to the tower?" Rafael asked.

Brittney nodded. "I'm-"

"You're not going anywhere!"

The duo turned around, and saw Janna, Jackie, and Mrs. Diaz standing at the door, all sporting disapproving looks.

"Hi Honey," Rafael greeted. "If you're worried that we haven't eaten breakfast yet, then don't worry, I'll buy something on the way there."

"That's not the problem!" Angie snapped, rubbing her forehead.

"Is it because today's a school day?" Brittney guessed. "Don't worry, we'll only be at the tower for five minutes-"

"Brittney, the problem's that you expect us to let you go to the tower after what happened yesterday!" Janna exclaimed, taking a step forward as she added, "What if you trip on something, or you go one or two levels too high, or if you see a septarian that reminds you of... _him_?!"

"Janna, are you okay?" Brittney asked, earning a furious look from the girl. "I would expect worrywart behavior like this from Marco, not you."

"Mina nearly killed you, and nearly busted my brains out with a headbutt yesterday, and now you want to head into the tower without a safe kid!" Janna snapped, grabbing and pulling Brittney by the neck of her cloak. "Why wouldn't I act like a worrywart!?"

Mrs. Diaz pulled Janna back and took a step forward before growling, "Point is, you can't take Brittney off to the tower after what happened yesterday, Rafael!"

Mr. Diaz sighed. "Angie, _you_ were the one who asked me to check up on Brittney-"

"And how was I supposed to know you two would decide to go to the tower, rather than do any other, more sensible thing?!" Mrs. Diaz folded her arms. "Besides, as Janna just said, you don't even have a safe kid on your team!"

"That's not true; I called an auxilliary safe kid yesterday, and she accepted to come along with us," Rafael stated, with Brittney nodding in agreement. "And besides, Brittney's backpack is filled with first aid kits, just to be sure."

"I'm still not sure about this..." Jackie remarked. "Are you sure this is the best way to get your mind off things?"

Brittney nodded, prompting Jackie to add, "And you'll go regardless of what we say?"

The girl nodded once more. Jackie rolled her eyes, "Why am I not surprised."

Janna sighed, and took out her grimoire from her back. "If you're going to go, then you're going to need something to defend yourself."

Mrs. Diaz and Jackie threw a shocked look at Janna as she opened the book, releasing Alfonzo and Ferguson, who she told:

"Alfonzo, Ferguson, I need you to keep an eye on Brittney. Keep her safe, got it?"

The guys glanced at the cloaked girl, then turned back to Janna, "Are you for real?"

"Yeah, are you for real?!" Mrs. Diaz exclaimed.

"Listen, I don't want Brittney to put herself in harm's way, but I know her well enough to know she'll go to the tower no matter what," Janna took off her glasses and handed them to Brittney. "So I might as well give her _something_ to help her stay alive, like a pair of babysitters."

"Hey!" Brittney exclaimed, then pointed at the glasses. "How do these work again?"

"You put them on, open the book, and all the random nonsense will be translated as actual spells," Janna handed the grimoire to Brittney. "Now get going."

Rafael smiled. "We'll be back soon, I promise."

Conflicted over whether to trust her husband or not, coupled with Brittney's puppy-dog eyes, Mrs. Diaz sighed, "Fine, but on one condition: Come back here before school starts."

The duo nodded and ran off to the tower, leaving the woman and girls alone in the house. However, as soon as Mrs. Diaz closed the door, Janna threw a look at Jackie, who immediately noticed.

"What?" Jackie sternly asked.

"You have power over ice when you're feeling emotional, right?" Janna asked, making the skater flinch. "If you weren't so sure about letting Brittney go to the tower, you could've froze her in place right then and there... But you didn't."

"Because I only control ice when I'm feeling negative or something like that," Jackie folded her arms and looked elsewhere. "Even if I wanted to freeze her, and I didn't, I wouldn't have been able to: I was calm the whole time."

"Maybe on the outside," Janna took a step forward and squinted her eyes. "But how about the inside?"

"Okay, you two, that's enough," Mrs. Diaz stated, separating the girls before they got into another fight. "Let's go upstairs and get you ready for school. Just because you'll wait 'till Brittney's back doesn't mean you shouldn't get ready before then."

Janna and Jackie exchanged looks, then nodded in unison, keeping an eye on each other as they followed Mrs. Diaz upstairs...

 _ **Close to The Tower...**_

Brittney and Mr. Diaz sat down at a food court close to the tower, where they leisurely ate some sandwiches.

"Okay, so, to recap: We'll go inside, fight some stray monsters, go up a level or two, then teleport to the very top of the tower to check up on Marco before we head back home," Mr. Diaz explained before he took another bite out of his sandwich. "You got that, Brittney?"

"Yeah, sure," Brittney answered, focused solely on her sandwich. "Mr. Diaz, who did you call to act as our safe kid today?"

The man chuckled. "You'll see her soon."

Brittney raised an eyebrow, but shrugged it off and finished her breakfast alongside Mr. Diaz.

Once that was done, they headed forth into the tower's entrance, where their safe kid was waiting. Like them, she wore a body-covering cloak, with a white cross symbol on her back. But besides that, this safe kid had a red hair that brought to mind a certain cheerleader...

This lead Brittney to asking, "Sabrina?"

The redheaded cheerleader flinched, then quickly turned around and saluted.

"Second-in-command of the cheerleader squad of Echo Creek Academy, Sabrina Backintosh, at your service!" Sabrina stated, only to notice Brittney soon afterwards. "Hi Brittney, what're you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Brittney tilted her head. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, Mr. Diaz called me to act as an auxilliary "safe kid", and since it also gives me an excuse to-" suddenly, Sabrina realized something. "Wait a minute, _you're_ going to the tower today after yesterday's fiasco?!"

"Yeah, but don't worry, I'll just be there long enough to get my mind off things," Brittney clasped her hands. "Besides, if I manage to kill some stray monsters, I can sell their cores for some good cash!"

"You've already convinced Jackie, Janna, and Mrs. Diaz to let you go, right?" Sabrina asked, earning a nod from Brittney in response. "In that case, I got nothing to add, let's go."

And so, the team ventured forward into the tower, whose doors closed as soon as they set foot in it.

 _ **Inside The Tower...**_

The interior of the structure was pitch black for a couple seconds, only for the lights to slowly turn on until the whole room was illuminated, letting the team see the door to the first level and the teleporters, though the only one active was the one leading directly to the final level.

It also allowed Sabrina to spot the grimoire and glasses held by Brittney a lot more easily.

"Hey, wait a minute, aren't those the grimoire and glasses Janna carries with her all the time?" Sabrina pondered out loud. "You know, the ones she never lets anybody touch without her permission?"

"Oh, she gave them to me just in case I needed more protection," Brittney opened the book. "And she gave me the glasses too to see where the spells were."

Alfonzo and Ferguson came out, and while the former just waved hello like normal, the latter waved hello, then blew a kiss at the cheerleader, who smiled as she grabbed it and put it on her lips.

"Okay, we don't have much time, so let's get this over quick," Mr. Diaz took out a spear, and Brittney handed Sabrina the grimoire. "Are you ready?"

The teenagers nodded, and without adding any more words, they ventured forth into the first level of the tower.

Once inside, they were ambushed by wolf-like humanoids with daggers, but Brittney easily slashed them apart... except for one that popped behind her.

"Inferblast!"

A fireball was shot at the wolf monster, burning it to smithereens as Brittney turned to see Sabrina, Alfonzo, and Ferguson waving their hands.

As for Mr. Diaz, he pierced several monsters' torsos with his spear, then lifted and swung them away, the monsters dissipating into dust and leaving behind their shards once they hit the wall.

"Hey, Brittney, how're you feeling!" Mr. Diaz called as he collected the shards. "Feeling better now?"

"I guess so, but these monsters are too easy," Brittney sighed. "Let's go to the next level, floor, or whatever, see if we can find a better challenge!"

"Now, Brittney, remember that you still have to go to school," Mr. Diaz pointed out. "So we can't waste much time here."

"Yeah, and besides, it could be way too dangerous," Sabrina spoke, Alfonzo and Ferguson nodding in agreement as she added, "Specially since we could encounter some septarians."

Brittney felt a chill go down her spine. "S-Septarians?"

"Yeah, haven't you heard?" Sabrina spoke as Mr. Diaz walked to her and the spirit boys. "Ever since "Ubaldo" struck the 11-20th floors, there have been septarians watching the lower floors in search for him. And if they find anybody who they think knows something about him, they take him or her to their boss."

Another chill went down Brittney's spine, this one being far more extreme than the last one.

"I wasn't informed about that," Mr. Diaz remarked with worry. "Where did you hear this."

At this point, Brittney started shivering as she stopped listening to what Sabrina was saying, with her pink lock of hair and a familiar voice popping up soon afterwards:

" _What's wrong?... You seem... Scared?_ "

"If I go too high, I could see him again..." Brittney whispered to herself. "I don't want to see him again!"

" _Who's he?"_

"The leader of the septarians..."

 _ **Flashback...**_

 _Brittney was dropped on the ground, with about a dozen septarians surrounding her. She soon looked up, and narrowed her eyes at the sight of the monsters._

 _"Um, excuse me, I was in the middle of some important business, you ugly, humanoid crocodiles!" Brittney snapped as she stood up. "Can I help you with something?!"_

 _"Yes you will."_

 _A septarian walked forward and met with Brittney, who was immediately disturbed by the fact that not only one of his eyes was fully black, but parts of his skin was melting and bones could be seen on the left side of his face._

 _"You spoke about a certain Ubaldo in your school, right?" the septarian asked. "We got a beef with him, one that's gone for long enough."_

 _The septarian leaned forward. "Tell us what you know about him, and we'll let you go."_

 _"I don't know squat about an Ubaldo, I just said that as an insult!" Brittney yelled. "And why should I listen to you anyway? Who even are you!?"_

 _The septarian smiled wide. "Oh, right, where are my manners?"_

 _The septarian grabbed Brittney by the neck and lifted her, the cheerleader trying her hardest to escape his grasp as he proclaimed:_

 _"I'm the leader of all septarians, survivor of an attack from one of Globgor's children, and father to one of the most powerful rulers of Mewni! My name's-"_

 _ **Present...**_

"Toffee!"

Brittney screamed, with two voices coming out, and the rest of the team turning to her just in time to notice her running away. They chased after her, and once Brittney was close to the exit, she took out her pendant and put it on as the voice warned:

" _W-Wait! Don't use that!"_

Brittney didn't hear her, and as soon as she tried to use the pendant, the girl was electrocuted-or the closest thing to it magic-wise anyway-and dropped on the ground, allowing the team to catch up to her.

"Brittney!" Sabrina exclaimed as she started doing some first aid stuff on her. "Why did you run off like that?!"

"She once had a bad encounter with septarians, which made her fear them since then," Mr. Diaz explained, brushed Brittney's hair. "Is that what happened, Brittney?"

The cheerleader nodded, and with a tearful tone cried, "I don't want to see him again... I don't want to see any of them again..."

"If that's the case, there's only one thing left to do," Mr. Diaz put a hand on Brittney's shoulder. "Let's go see Marco, and call it a day."

Brittney flinched, and eventually nodded in agreement-and her hair turned back to normal-when she saw Mr. Diaz's reassuring smile.

 _ **One Teleporter Trip Later...**_

The team reached the very top level of the tower, where they all got ready to fight back as the massive shadow in front of them moved closer, revealing himself to be Globgor, who took his time staring at the whole team...

And then Globgor smiled once he spotted Mr. Diaz. "Rafael, old pal!"

Globgor and Mr. Diaz shared a fist bump, or the closest thing they could manage between a human and a giant behemoth.

"I'm sorry, I don't think I got that," Sabrina said. "Did Mr. Diaz and the King of the tower just share a fist bump like they were friends?"

"The Diazes and Globgor are old friends," Brittney explained.

"Granted, that's not to say I don't like you or the other children either, Brittney," Globgor gently rubbed his finger against Brittney. "By the way, I felt a magical disturbance in your person, did something happen?"

Brittney grabbed her pendant and handed it to the behemoth. "Yeah, I tried to use my pendant's power, but I just got electrocuted, and felt dizzy a moment later."

"I see. I'll give it a look and hand it back to you on your next visit." Globgor then turned to face Alfonzo and Ferguson. "And you two are Janna's book servants, right? What are you doing here?"

"She gave us the job to keep Brittney safe," Alfonzo explained. "She turned into a bit of a worrywart after what happened yesterday."

Globgor raised an eyebrow. "What happened yesterday?"

"We'll tell you in a moment, but first, we need to see-" Mr. Diaz spoke.

"Marco? Yeah, I had a feeling you were coming for him," Globgor glanced at his side, where a shadowy figure laid. "Come out, Marco, show your friends the good news."

The shadowy figure nodded and stepped out of the darkness... and what the team saw brought joyful smiles to their faces.

 _ **Later, at the Diaz Household...**_

Jackie and Janna stood still as Mrs. Diaz hastily checked them from head to toe, making sure they weren't forgetting anything before they headed out for school.

"Okay, I think you're all set," Mrs. Diaz looked at the clock. "But what's taking Rafael and Brittney so long?"

Suddenly, Alfonzo and Ferguson phased through the door before Mr. Diaz and Brittney barged through it.

"Honey, we got great news!" Mr. Diaz exclaimed as Brittney hugged the woman.

"Well, I hope they really are great, because you're _this_ close to coming late to school," Mrs. Diaz sternly stated. "Anyway, what's up?"

Brittney whistled, and the news came through the door in the form of Marco, who was now fully healed and ready to return to the world.

Sure, his right eye was still closed, the scar under it stayed the same, his fangs were a bit more pronounced, and his hair had grown 'till it touched his shoulders, but besides that, he was a-ok.

"Hi Mom," the guy greeted with a little smile. "I'm back home."

Mrs. Diaz's turned watery as her frown slowly turned into a joyful smile, shortly before she ran towards and hugged her son, with Jackie, Janna, Brittney, Mr. Diaz, and even Alfonzo and Ferguson joining the hug a moment later.

Marco was shocked at first, but he quickly shrugged it off and returned the hug, happy to be back home.


	13. Marco and the Girls

**Early update because why not?! XD**

 **So, Marco's back in the fray. Let's just hope he doesn't put himself in danger again, whether against Star or somebody else.**

 **Also, I get the feeling this arc would drag on if the original plan was followed, so I'm gonna rewrite a couple things to make things a bit smoother.**

 **Because a decent story with a decent pace is better than an epic story that takes way too long to get going.**

 **Before we go on, however, let's answer some reviews:**

 **1) Nobody245:**

 *** Globgor has some tricks up his sleeve. That's all I will Say.**

 **2) Guest:**

 *** The diamond won't be seen for a while.**

 *** Was Glossaryck really helping the mewmans? I mean, let's be honest: he's Glossaryck.**

 **And now, to the chapter!  
**

* * *

 _ **Mewni Castle...**_

Star paced back and forth in her room, waiting for her fellow queens to arrive. At least, she was hoping they would arrive.

"I need to tell them the warning Globgor told me," Star said to herself. "I won't have issues leaving the merchant alone, but I can't trust the other queens not to hurt him!"

Star stopped in front of a tapestry, depicting Celena and a younger Eclipsa pointing at some humanoid monsters with Globgor's features, which seemed to be on their way to be executed.

"Specially not Eclipsa," Star stated. "Wait a minute, why do I even have this tapestry here?"

The door was opened, and Meteora, Eclipsa, and Moon entered the room, the former two helping the latter keep her balance.

"Hi sweetie, we're here," Moon greeted, getting her daughter's attention. "Sorry we took so long-"

Before she could finish, Star walked to her mother and sniffed her mouth, covering her nose before asking:

"Were you drinking again, Mom?!"

"Pretty much, yeah," Meteora bluntly answered. "When we came to her room, we found her-"

"Doesn't matter, it's the middle of the night, so let's get this over with," Star sighed. "Sit down, though, 'cause this might come off as a shock."

The queens nodded, and once they sat down, Star took a deep breath and stated:

"I met Globgor, and the merchant I killed? He's one of his sons."

"His sons!?" Eclipsa exclaimed, standing up. "Don't tell me he-"

"The merchant's part of a group that consider themselves Globgor's children but have no blood relation to him," Star hastily explained. "Anyway, he was pretty angry about what I did-"

"Understandable, to an extent," Moon nodded. "Whether related by blood or not, a parent will usually have their children's best interests in mind."

Moon then threw a look at Eclipsa. "Assuming they're not self-centered jerks."

"Whatever! He got angry at me, and he made me promise not to hurt him again, and I need you to promise that as well!" Star took a deep breath. "Because if he's put near death, or lord forbid _killed_ , again..."

Star hesitated, taking a moment of silence before finishing:

"Globgor will destroy Mewni."

The queens grimaced, exchanging looks of worry as Star rubbed her forehead, hoping that the message would go through.

 _ **Back on Earth...**_

The Diaz Household was filled with utmost joy as everybody surrounded Marco, who sat on the couch with a wide smile on his face... and with both his parents squashing their faces against his own.

"My little baby's back home!" Mrs. Diaz chirped before separating from the boy. "Oh, sorry, you probably need some space, right?"

"I'd appreciate that," Marco said, and then his stomach growled. "And if you could give me something to eat too, that'd be great."

Mrs. Diaz immediately went to the kitchen to prepare some food for her son, who was left to receive affection from the girls.

"I'm so glad you're safe and sound, Marco!" Brittney chirped, hugging the guy by the waist. "I was worried sick for you!"

"We _all_ were worried sick for him!" Janna stated as she hugged Marco as well. "Don't start acting like you were more worried than us!"

"But point is, we were worrying the worst while you were recovering," Jackie remarked. "I mean, you've survived a lot of stuff, but nothing like being brought to near death by a Mewman."

"Yeah, I agree; Globgor told me he had to work _very hard_ to bring me back to life," Marco sighed and looked at the sky. "At least, that's what he told me."

Then, someone coughed, and everybody turned around to see Sabrina with a stern look and arms folded behind her back.

"Oh, hi, Sabrina, I forgot you were here," Marco smiled. "Do you need something."

Sabrina blushed and looked elsewhere. "N-No, I was coughing to get Janna's attention."

Then, the redhead remembered something and smiled. "Though, if I can say something, I was Brittney's auxilliary safe kid today."

"Oh really? Well, I guess she wouldn't have come to the tower otherwise," Marco tilted his head. "How did it feel living out your former dream job?"

"Honestly, I didn't do anything a safe kid actually does during our short visit, but it was awesome! I specially liked when I got the chance to cast some spells with Alfonzo and Ferguson's help!" Sabrina chirped, only to grow angry as she turned her focus to Janna. "In fact, it's because I used the book that I wanted to get Janna's attention."

The beanie girl turned to Brittney. "You let Sabrina borrow the grimoire?!"

Brittney just nodded, and before Janna could answer, Sabrina grabbed her by the neck of her shirt and dragged her upstairs, to Marco's bedroom, where she grabbed the grimoire and put it on a desk nearby.

"Listen, Sabrina, if you let me explain-"

Janna's words fell on deaf ears as Sabrina swapped places with her, then forced her to look straight at her in the eyes.

"So, Janna, I have cheerleading practice soon, so I'll ask while I still have the chance," Sabrina tilted her head. "Have you been able to find a way to free my boyfriend?"

Janna flinched, but maintained a nervous smile. "B-Boyfriend?"

"Yeah, Ferguson, remember? The guy in your grimoire," Sabrina pointed out. "And also, I'd appreciate it if you found a way to release Alfonzo too. Chantelle's desperate to give her "four-eyed sweetheart" the love and affection she's been bottling up for a while."

Then, Sabrina narrowed her eyes and growled, "You _have_ been looking for a way to free them, right?"

Janna's smile faltered. "O-Of course I have! I've been searching the book for days to find a spell that could release those two from the grimoire's containment!"

"Really? I thought that lately we were just eating snacks and watching TV while we waited for the situation to fix itself," Ferguson spoke from within the grimoire.

Janna threw an angry look at the book as Alfonzo added, "That, and figuring out what kind of monster Marco's monster half is supposed to be."

Janna got ready to hit the book like she usually would, but Sabrina grabbed her arm tightly, and the beanie-wearing girl slowly turned around to see Sabrina throwing the most calm, yet furious glare she could muster at her.

"I knew you had to be lying to us about something," Sabrina leaned closer. "So, you've been keeping _Chantelle and I's_ boyfriends to yourself, huh?"

Sabrina pinned Janna to the floor. "What have you been doing with them?! What have you been doing _to_ them!?"

Janna reached for the book, and managed to flip it open, allowing Alfonzo and Ferguson to come out and separate the girls.

"Sabrina, calm down!" Ferguson exclaimed as he held his girlfriend back. "Janna hasn't done anything to us!"

"Yeah, she's honestly been trying to set us free!" Alfonzo added as he helped Janna catch her breath.

The redheaded cheerleader calmed down, then glanced at the open book as her boyfriend released her.

"Okay, Janna, I'll admit I went a bit overboard there," Sabrina stated, turning her attention to the beanie girl. "Still, Chantelle and I won't wait anymore just to be told you did nothing, again, so, as a compensation-"

Sabrina pointed the book. "Give us the book for the rest of the day!"

Janna, Ferguson, and Alfonzo backed away and gasped, though Janna quickly regained her composure and adjusted her glasses before stating:

"Alright, then."

"Wait, that's it?!" Alfonzo exclaimed. "You'll hand Sabrina the book, just like that?!"

"You've had the book since you were a little girl!" Ferguson added.

"And I've been keeping you to myself for just as long," Janna sighed. "I know how it feels to be separated from the one you love: It sucks. And besides, Sabrina has been through enough already."

Janna grabbed the book and closed it, returning the boys back into it.

"Here you go," Janna handed the grimoire. "You'll give it back, right?"

Sabrina glared, hugging the book tightly.

"I'll be optimistic and assume that's a yes," Janna remarked.

And then a car's honk was heard, followed by a cheerful voice:

"Sabrinya! It's time for practice, let's go!"

The redhead cringed. "Looks like Chantelle came looking for me. I can tell, 'cause she has a bad habit of trying to make the "nya" sound whenever possible."

Janna looked elsewhere and scratched her cheek. "I dunno, I think it's kinda cute."

"Try to still think that after you've heard a dozen more times," Sabrina sighed. "Anyway, I'm leaving now."

"Wait, before you go, take these too," Janna took off her glasses. "These glasses will let you-"

"Keep them, we're not going to use any spells; Unlike you, we don't see Ferguson and Alfonzo as mere tools," Sabrina hissed. "And besides, those glasses look really god on you."

Janna blushed and put her glasses back on before she walked Sabrina to the door

Once there,Sabrina and Janna shook hands, and as they separated, the redhead leaned closer to Janna's ear and whispered:

"Just because you and Marco won't likely be an item right away, _doesn't_ mean you can take his friends, and our boyfriends, and get away with it. Think about that until we give the book back."

Janna and Sabrina separated, the latter throwing an angry look at the former before she joined the rest of the cheerleaders, and ran to begin their practice.

Exhausted after what happened, Janna slammed the door shut, walked back to the couch, and groaned as she sat down and tried to relax for a bit.

"You seriously haven't done anything to try and free those guys?" Mr. Diaz spoke in a tone of disapproval. "It's been years since they got trapped in your book!"

Janna's eyes opened wide. "How did you-?!"

"You and Sabrina aren't exactly the most quiet of girls," Brittney answered. "We could hear everything from down here."

"I see... I know it's been a long time, but it's not like I haven't been trying," Janna sighed in frustration. "That da-"

Mr. Diaz narrowed his eyes. "Janna, language."

" _-Dang_ grimoire has so much context in it, most of which I can't even access right now, and it's so easy to forget what I've tried or not, even with Alfonzo and Ferguson's help," Janna folded her arms. "So, I agreed with them that we should take a break from searching, which is why we did what they said we did."

"Then why didn't you say so after they mentioned it?" Brittney inquired.

"Because it wouldn't have mattered!" Janna exclaimed. "To Sabrina and Chantelle, I'm nothing more than the bi... witch, that got their boyfriends stuck in a book!"

"To be fair, she's not necessarily wrong," Jackie remarked. "After all, you knew she and Chantelle were their girlfriends, and you _still_ imprisoned them in the grimoire."

That immediately struck a nerve with the beanie girl. "I didn't imprison them!"

"Okay, everybody calm down," Mrs. Diaz said as she returned from the kitchen with a large tray of food. "No fighting in front of the boy that just returned to the tower."

"Yeah, girls, calm down," Marco said before he started eating. "You wouldn't want to walk to the academy in a bad mood, would you?"

"Actually, speaking of the academy, I got a phone call from one of your teachers," Angie scratched the back of her head. "And... well..."

 _ **Outside Echo Creek Academy...**_

The quartet stood in front of the Echo Creek Academy's entrance, alongside Mrs. Skullnick and Mr. Candle.

"School's out until new notice?" Marco asked in confusion.

"Yesterday, Mina Loveberry, the teacher in charge of the Monster Attack Orientation program, was captured by some Mewman scouts," Mrs. Skullnick explained. "The program she lead is one of the most important parts of the school, so Principal Skeeves doesn't feel comfortable without someone leading it."

"That money-grubbing jerk actually did that?" Jackie inquired, putting her hands on her hips. "Why not just assign a substitute teacher for the class, like he did with literally every other class?"

"The MAO program is crucial in the development of survival skills, so whoever teaches it must be well-versed in it's principles," Mr. Candle explained. "Therefore, unlike the other classes, Skeeves can't just assign it to some random passerby: He needs to think about it carefully."

"Well, let's look at the bright side: No school today!" Janna exclaimed. "Although, I have to ask: What are Mrs. Skullnick and Mr. Candle doing here anyway?"

"A teacher meeting," Skullnick bluntly stated. "We're going to discuss what we're going to do now without Mina, and talk about her potential replacement."

"Which reminds me, we have to get going," Mr. Candle smiled. "Have fun on your day off, oh, and Janna? Don't go snooping around the adult section of the library again, okay?"

Janna flinched, then looked away and muttered, "Yes, Mr. Candle."

With that said, the teachers went inside, and the quartet walked down the streets on their own.

"Well, that's done!" Janna said as she stretched herself. "So, Marco, what should we do now?"

The guy raised an eyebrow. "Why are you asking me?"

"Marco, you just came back from Globgor's domain, and you're probably tired and maybe dazzed," Jackie explained. "Janna asked your opinion because we don't want you to come with us someplace you don't feel comfortable with."

"And don't try to lie about how you wouldn't do it," Brittney smiled. "We know you well enough to know you really _would_ do it."

Marco hummed to himself. "I know, how about we go see the cheerleaders?"

Janna stopped the whole team on their tracks. "Okay, you're definitely dazzed! Did you forget the scene that happened a little earlier?!"

"Right, I _did_ forget about that," Marco scratched his chin. "How about you skip this one out, then, Janna?"

Janna's response was blunt: "No."

Marco raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"Because I can't trust Jackie to _not_ seduce you when you're both alone, and I'm seriously worried for what could happen to Brittney, even with both of you by her side," the beanie-wearing girl folded her arms. "Come on, think a little harder! There has to be something you can do with all _three_ of us!"

The boy thought for a moment, and smiled as he got an idea.

 _ **Food Court next to The Tower...**_

Marco and the girls sat on a table, with the girls watching as Marco ate pancakes, eggs, ham, and other common breakfast foods.

Of the three, though, Janna seemed to be outright upset. "I feel like a dumbass for not thinking Marco could be hungry after being revived."

"Janna, language!" Brittney snapped. "We're in a public spot, for crying out loud!"

"So what?! I'm upset, and Mrs. Diaz isn't here to discipline my ass!" Janna snapped in return, placing her arms behind her head. "I'll be as vulgar as I damn please!"

"Janna, language, please," Marco stated sternly. "Don't get us thrown out of another food court because of your crude language."

Embarrassed, Janna put her arms down and blushed as she looked at the ground.

"She does have a point, though: Globgor had to have fed you while you were at the tower, and Mrs. Diaz prepared you breakfast before we left," Jackie raised an eyebrow. "How could you still be hungry?"

"Oh, I'm not doing this 'cause I'm hungry," Marco answered. "You see, Globgor said my tasting buds may not work properly and that I may need to eat a lot of food before they work again. So of course, I decided to do that right away."

"But don't you feel full?" Brittney asked worriedly.

Marco stopped eating, and looked at his surroundings before he answered, "Yeah, but-"

"Marco, we understand you'd rather have a fully functioning body right now," Jackie said as she grabbed and pulled away Marco's food. "But hurting it in the process isn't worth it. So, let's stop eating right now, and do something else."

Marco tilted his head. "Like what?"

 _ **Like This...**_

Marco and the girls entered a restaurant that sold fortune cookies, among many other things.

"So, you took me from a place where people mostly eat," Marco recapped before giving Jackie a look of confusion. "To a different place where people mostly eat?"

"Yeah, but we're not going to eat anything," Jackie grabbed a nearby bowl of fortune cookies. "We're gonna see our fortunes! And best part of it is, the cookies are free!"

"Ah, fortune cookies, some people love them, some people loathe them," Brittney remarked, only to suddenly grow angry. "I'm part of the latter group."

"Brittney, we already talked about this," Marco sighed wearingly. "Just because the fortune cookie told you that "love is the answer," doesn't mean you should write "love" instead of a proper answer during the exam."

"But I literally took the cookie because I was desperate and couldn't think of anything else!" Brittney whined. "How was I supposed to know I wasn't supposed to take it so literally?!"

"Well, it's a message in a cookie, that should be self-explanatory," Jackie answered. "Anyhow, I don't remember when this happened, but you could've asked us for help, right?"

"Actually, she was still her obnoxious self back when this happened," Marco casually revealed.

"Oh..." Janna threw a sympathetic look at Brittney. "You were pretty much screwed, then."

Brittney sadly nodded. "Like you wouldn't believe."

"Okay, that's enough," Marco rolled his eyes. "Let's go to a table and see what fortune we get."

The team sat at a nearby table, and Janna was the first to get her fortune, after gently putting the cookie out of it's misery. It read:

" _One of your closest friends will cheer you up._ "

Janna smiled at Marco. "That does sound like something you would do, Marco."

The boy smiled back, and cracked his cookie open berore reading his fortune:

" _You will be a princess desired by all royalty, male and female alike._ "

"Princess?! What the heck?!" Marco exclaimed as Jackie and Brittney held back their laughter, while Janna just laughed outright. "There _has_ to be something wrong with this fortune!"

"Well, at least mine _did_ come true!" Janna remarked, revealing her fortune to the boy in the princess. "You really cheered me up, Marco!"

"H-Hey, i-if it makes you feel better," Jackie snickered, trying to hold her laughter and speak at the same time. "I think you _would_ make a pretty nice princess!"

"Thanks, Jackie, I totally needed that," Marco rolled his eyes and stood up. "I'll go see if I can find a better fortune."

The boy left, and as soon as he was at the counter, Jackie and Brittney turned their attention to Janna, who just asked "What?" in confusion.

Jackie folded her arms. "Something's bothering you."

"Wha-No, that's not true," Janna looked elsewhere. "I'm fine, don't worry about it."

"You're not fine, It's way too obvious that something's on your mind," Brittney remarked. "If something's the matter, then you can tell us about it. We can help you."

Janna turned back to the girls, and sighed:

"Before we left for school, Sabrina and I kinda got into a fight, you already know that. But, for a while now, I can't help but be upset at how, no matter what I say or what I do, she and Chantelle would probably still hate me anyway after Alfonzo and Ferguson eventually get out of the book. Not only that, but she _took the_ book too!"

"I don't think you're ever getting it back, then," Brittney remarked.

Janna rested her head on the table, whining, "Those were my exact thoughts!"

"Sounds like you need some moral support," Jackie smiled. "How about you talk with Marco about it? He should be willing to listen to your problems."

The girl hummed, and seeing logic in Jackie's suggestion, Janna took a deep breath and shouted:

"Hey, dude!"

Marco continued talking with the restaurant owner. He had seemingly gone from upset to concerned.

Jackie shouted next:

"Hey, girl!"

Same response, with Marco now laughing and generally looking happy as he spoke with the woman.

Brittney then shouted:

"Hey, Marco!"

This time, the boy turned back to the girls, and bid farewell before he returned to the girls.

"Sorry, I was talking with the owner, and it turns out the fortune was written by her daughter, and she liked it so much, she decided to add it," Marco explained. "I mean, I'm still upset that I got that fortune of all things, but hey, at least I know now that it wasn't written by someone with a bad sense of humor-"

Jackie slammed her fists down the table and exclaimed, "Janna needs to talk with you!"

One quick silence passed, and next thing the team knew, Jackie and Brittney remained behind with the cookies while Marco and Janna went to talk about stuff in a nearby corner.

"So, Marco..." Janna nervously spoke, with the guy hearing her intently. "You don't... hate me for... what happened with Alfonzo and Ferguson, right?"

Marco frowned and looked elsewhere.

"I assure you that it was a complete accident! I didn't want to imprison them in the grimoire, I just wanted to show them what it could do!" Janna exclaimed, her tone growing desperate and scared. "I honestly tried to get them out, but-"

"Janna, I never said I didn't believe you: I do believe you didn't mean to do it," Marco stated as he turned his attention to the beanie-wearing girl. "But, why do you bring this up."

"Because after what Sabrina told me earlier today, I needed to remember... to know... if there was anybody who believed me," Janna looked elsewhere. "The cheerleader squad, the football team, and even Jackie at first, they all believed I was guilty of sealing them. That I did it on purpose."

Janna looked at the ground. "And while I managed to tell Jackie what happened, everybody else just shuns me away."

She folded her arms and shooked her head. "In fact, she took the grimoire with her to the cheerleader practice, and I can't help but get the feeling she's not going to give it back anytime soon."

Marco frowned. "I see..."

And while that happened, Jackie carefully surfed through the cookies, while Brittney looked at Marco and Janna with worry.

"Do you think Janna's doing okay?" Brittney asked, turning her attention back to Jackie. "They've been there for a couple minutes now."

"Then either Janna or Marco are getting stuff out of their systems," Jackie guessed, taking a cookie and crushing it as she said so. "Whatever's going on with them, we should let them talk as much as necessary."

Jackie grabbed her fortune as Brittney went back to watching the pair. It said this:

" _Your cool attitude will shatter when you go back to school_."

Jackie felt a shiver go down her spine. Which went down again when Marco suddenly grabbed her shoulder.

"Hey, we're back," the guy stated as he sat next to Jackie. "You got your fortune, huh? What does it say?"

The blonde gal showed the fortune to Marco, who quickly read it before he just shrugged. "Meh, don't worry about that now."

Then he turned to Brittney. "Okay, Brittney, you're the only one left. Grab your fortune."

Brittney grimaced. "Do I _have_ to?"

"We all got our fortunes already, It's only fair you get yours too," Janna answered. "Don't worry, with school out, you don't have to worry about exams or anything like that."

Brittney took a deep breath, and grabbed her fortune straight from the cookie, no cookie killing required. It read:

" _Your new friend will visit you tomorrow._ "

Brittney smiled and showed her fortune to her friends. "This sounds like a good thing."

Janna folded her arms. "Just 'cause it _sounds_ like a good thing doesn't mean it actually _is_ one."

Marco stood up. "Okay, I think that's enough fortunes for today. How about we get out of here?"

The quartet returned the bowl, and left the restaurant, with Marco stretching a bit as soon as he was out.

"So, where do we go now? Or would you rather go home?" Marco reached for his pocket and took out the money Star gave him. "I got some cash, eitherway, so I don't mind."

The girls' eyes opened wide, with Janna being the one to speak, "You had money with you this whole time?!"

"Where did you get the money?" Jackie asked, only to then get an idea. "Oh, wait, Globgor gave it to you, right?"

"Nope. Remember that I was almost killed by a Mewman?" Marco asked, with the girls sternly, yet somberly nodding in response. "Well, Globgor told me that she came to his room while I was recovering, and paid the debt she owed me. These 200 dollars are proof of that."

The girls were stunned, to say the least.

"A Mewman... actually paid her debt?" Brittney blurted. "But, don't mewmans only ever pay their debts to another Mewman?"

"Yeah, if it's anybody else, they tell them to bug off and leave them alone," Janna corroborated. "Are you sure Globgor didn't give them to you?"

"Hey, he told me that Mewman paid her debt, and while I'll admit it's weird, I'm willing to trust his word," Marco sternly put his hands on his hips. "If you got an issue with that, you can go talk to him yourselves."

Janna and Brittney immediately backed away.

"O-On second thought, we'll trust Globgor's word," Brittney stuttered with a nervous smile.

"Y-Yeah, no need to ask the big guy himself, right?" Janna added.

"I still think it's weird the Mewman actually paid her debt, but hey, if it helps us have a good time, then I guess there's no reason to complain," Jackie folded her arms. "So, how much are you planning to spend?"

Janna immediately took a step forward. "Y-Yeah, you should save some of it, just in case the Mewman comes back with some nonsense excuse to get the money back!"

Marco hummed. "Maybe I should keep the money then, just in case."

Suddenly, Brittney's phone rang, and the girl answered the call. "Hello?"

Some gibberish came out the other end. "No, I don't think so. But I could watch you from the stands."

More gibberish came out. "Got it, I'll be going in a moment."

Brittney hung her phone and saved it in her pocket. "It was the cheerleading squad, they were wondering if I was gonna practice with them after the battle against Mina."

"The battle against Mina?" Marco asked. "What the heck happened while I was out?"

"Long story short, Brittney made a new monster friend, Mina tried to capture him or something, because he was apparently Lekmet of the Magic High Commission, and she, the cheerleaders, and I fought against her and the teachers," Janna hastily explained. "Mina gave us a beating, and the cheerleaders didn't fare any better with the teachers once Jackie called Mr. Candle, but at least Lekmet's safe... I think, anyway."

"Hmm... you and Brittney seem to be fine, so I think I'll pay a visit to the cheerleader squad, then," Marco saved his hands in his pockets. "I'm kinda worried for how they're doing after that battle you mentioned."

"I'll come with you," Brittney stated. "I'm the reason they got hurt, after all, because they kept the other teachers at bay. And I did kinda already promised I'd be going there, so it's dealing with two birds with one stone."

"Got it," Marco grabbed Brittney's hand. "Well, Jackie, Janna, see you later."

"Now wait just a-!" Janna snapped.

"Janna, we already had our time with Marco, and I'm pretty sure Brittney needs his support the most right now," Jackie stated, stopping Janna on her tracks. "So come on, let them have their time alone. I'm sure we can find something fun to do while they're at it."

Janna looked at the distance, then got an idea. "I got it! Let's go to the ferris wheel!"

Jackie blushed and took a step back. "H-Hold your horses, Janna! People might get the wrong idea!"

Janna grabbed Jackie's arm. "Who cares?! I found something fun to do before you did, so let's go do that!"

And as the beanie girl cheerfully dragged the skater with her, Jackie flailed her free arm as she tried to free herself from Janna's grasp.

Brittney and Marco were... surprised, about what happened.

"Meh, I'm sure they'll be okay," Marco casually remarked.

"I _hope_ they'll be okay," Brittney said. "Come on, let's go see the cheerleaders.

Marco nodded, and the duo left the streets a while later.

 _ **Football Field, Behind Echo Creek Academy...**_

Marco and Brittney arrived at the training place for the cheerleaders, just in time to watch them form a pyramid before they quickly disassembled it and rested at the ground.

"Good work, guys!" Brittney chirped, while Marco clapped.

The cheerleaders were quickly noticed by Sabrina and Chantelle.

"Okay everybody, Marco and Brittney are here!" Sabrina told the other cheerleaders. "Chantelle and I will talk to them, the rest of you take a break!"

The girls stood up and ran to the duo. "So, where have you been?"

"We were taking a little time off, mostly because the school's closed until they find a new MAO teacher," Marco explained. "Speaking of which, why are _you_ here?"

"Just because the school's closed doesn't mean we can slack off," Chantelle answered. "It's our job to keep the team spirit high! That's what we cheerleaders do!"

"Whether we like it or not," Sabrina somberly added. "Anyway, how's the "hair thing" doing?"

"The thing that turns my hair pink, right?" Brittney inquired. "She's been very quiet lately. Not that she was talkative before, but still, it's noticeable."

Sabrina frowned. "And how are you feeling, Brittney? You know, after the fight yesterday."

"My head still hurts a bit, so does some of my muscles, but besides that I'm fine," Brittney frowned. "How about you, Sabrina?"

"I-"

"Sabrina here has been utterly mortified of the idea that you won't be practicing with us for a while," Chantelle interjected with a teasing smile. "Specially how she won't be able to see your panties!"

Sabrina and Brittney flushed. "Chantelle!"

"Wait, what?" Marco asked with an amused chuckle.

"Brittney's at the top of the pyramid, followed by Sabrina and I, and then everybody else," Chantelle said, walking closer to Marco as her grin grew more playful. "Every once in a while, during practice, Sabrina looks up and cstches a glimpse of Brittney's underwear."

"Don't tell him that!" Sabrina shouted.

Chantelle giggled. "She says it always makes her day!"

"Huh, I see," Marco remarked while Sabrina and Brittney screamed. "Hey, Sabrina, is that true?"

"No!" the embarrassed co-captain exclaimed.

"In that case," Marco turned to Brittney. "Can I see your panties?"

"Of course not!" Brittney snapped, her embarrassment being mixed with anger.

"In _that_ case," Marco turned to Sabrina. "Could you look at them for me, Sabrina?"

"What do you think!?" Sabrina yelled, her embarrasment also being mixed with anger.

Marco just smiled and chirped, "Thanks, Sabrina, you're the be-"

The captain and co-captain of the cheerleaders snapped, and punched both Marco and Chantelle into the ground, their fists steaming from the sheer force used.

"Learn how to keep your dang mouth shut, Chantelle!" Sabrina snapped.

The cat-ish cheerleader moaned in a way to say "Yes, miss."

And then Marco got off the ground and dusted himself. "Oh right, there's something else we need to talk about."

Brittney and Sabrina calmed down as he continued, "It's about Janna's book."

The girls flinched, but Sabrina quickly regained her composure and glanced at the other cheerleaders before stating:

"Let's go somewhere more private."

 _ **Somewhere More Private...**_

Marco, Brittney, Sabrina, and Chantelle entered a dark alley close to the field, where they could still see it just in case something happened.

"Oh wow, I just realized: We're three girls, one Marco, and we're alone on an alley that the other cheerleaders aren't going to notice," Chantelle remarked, slyly smiling as she added, "Oh, how I hope Marco doesn't use this opportunity to do naughty things to us."

"I don't, promise," Marco stated.

Chantelle frowned. "Well, color me disappointed."

Sabrina promptly took out the book and opened it, releasing Alfonzo and Ferguson. This allowed them to shake hands and do some fist bumps with the guy, though while they were happy, Marco seemed slightly upset.

Then he turned back to Sabrina. "So, you do have it..."

"Before you blame me for anything, I didn't coerce or force Janna to hand it over," the redhead sternly retorted. She handed It to me fair and square!"

Marco turned to Alfonzo and Ferguson, who nodded in agreement.

"Okay, but why?" Marco inquired. "Why would you ask Janna to hand you the grimoire?"

"Imagine this: You have a boyfriend, or girlfriend, who you share a deep bond. One day, you're getting ready to meet them, but you can't find them anywhere," Chantelle started, narrowing her eyes as she sternly continued. "Then, mere moments later, you find out they've been trapped inside a grimoire thanks to a certain jerk, who was angry at them for keeping _their_ crush occupied."

"They try explaining themselves and, regardless of what they said, they promise they'll do everything they can to fix the problem. Then, next time you meet them, it turns out they haven't made any progress in freeing them, but they promise they'll keep trying," Sabrina corroborated, growing angrier _and_ closer to shedding tears as she exclaimed, "This repeats itself for several years, with you being unable to do anything about it other than worry and panic over what that _asshole_ could be doing to your soulmates!"

Sabrina calmed down once she saw Brittney hiding behind Marco. "Anyway, that's what we felt, and we _refused_ to take it any longer."

"Don't try to act sympathetic or understanding towards us, though," Chantelle remarked. "After all, _we_ have a single boyfriend each, who we'll spend the rest of our lives with, and _you_ have _three_ girls fawning over you, with you switching which girl you hang out with at the drop of a hat."

"I'm not like that!" Marco snapped, only to nervously ask Brittney, "I'm not, right?"

The girl came out of hiding and twiddled her fingers. "Marco, how about you go see the other cheerleaders? I'll talk with Sabrina and Chantelle over here."

The guy frowned, but eventually nodded in agreement and walked back to the football field. Over there, he saw the cheerleaders either training, talking with each other, or training _while_ talking with each other.

The one exception was Andrea, the dark-skinned cheerleader with blue eyes, who seemed to be writing something. This made Marco walk to her with curiosity.

"What are you doing, Andrea?" Marco asked as he approached the girl.

"I'm writing a letter to my half-sister," the dark-skinned cheerleader answered, focusing completely on her letter. "She's living in an all-female school now, so we write letters to each other to keep in contact."

Andrea soon got an idea. "Hey, how about you write a letter to her? I'm sure she'd appreciate it!"

Marco, however, blurted in response, "Half-sister?"

"We have the same father, but different mothers," the dark-skinned cheerleader blushed and looked elsewhere nervously. "And, hehe, things get a little weird, and a little wind, from that point on."

"Got it, I won't ask about it then," Marco took out a paper and pen from his back. "So, what should I write?"

"Besides an introduction of who you are, it's entirely up to you," Andrea answered. "Just remember that my sister doesn't know you, so don't try asking anything too personal. And don't bring up your relationship problems either."

The guy nodded, wrote his letter, and after a couple minutes, he sealed it and handed it to Andrea, who had just finished sealing hers.

With that done, Andrea whistled, and a pigeon flew to her and grabbed both letters before taking off to who-knows-where.

"I wonder if anybody will actually read it," Marco thought out loud.

"I'm sure someone will," Andrea stated, putting a hand on Marco's shoulder.

Marco looked back at the fleeting pigeon, flashing a smile across his face as he remained positive over the idea somebody would actually read his letter.


	14. Our Stories

**Just** **because I updated earlier this week doesn't mean I won't update on a** **F** **riday.**

 **So, last chapter ended with a letter being delivered. What better way to start this chapter than with a direct continuation of sorts?**

 **But, we will also take a look at the "human four": Marco, Jackie, Janna, and Brittney. Mr. and Mrs. diaz are here too, but they're not the main focus... Yet. **

**Anyway, let's answer some reviews!:**

 **1) Lelcar: Learning how to do magic is a thing, you know?**

 **2) Nobody245: Lets hope things take a while to get bad.**

 **3) Guest: That's QUEEN Marco Turdina for you, plebeian!**

 **And now, to the chapter!**

* * *

 _ **St. Meteora's Reformatory For Wayward Princesses...**_

A carriage parked right in front of the gloomy building, with a miniature man leaving it as a four-armed entity walked towards him.

The man turned out to be Gemini, Meteora's right-hand man, who, with the help of some guards, put down a large bag from the carriage as the entity, revealed to be Princess Arms, reached him.

"Here's this week's mail for the princesses," Gemini stated.

"Huh, it's quite a lot, specially compared to last week," Arms remarked. "Did you scan them on your way here."

Gemini sternly shook his head. "You know that I don't feel comfortable checking private messages like these."

Arms rolled her eyes, grabbed the bag and walked back into the building. She headed to the lobby, where most of the princesses would be at during their break.

And sure enough, they were all there, goofing off like usual.

"Okay, princesses, the mail has arrived," Arms stated with a stern tone. "I'll call your names, and I expect you to come pick up your mail right away, got it?"

The princesses all said "Yeah!" in unison with a deadpan tone.

Unsurprised at the princesses' lack of enthusiasm, Arms rolled her eyes and grabbed the first letter. "Princess Smooshy?"

A large, elephant-ish princess stepped up and walked to the four-armed royal, who handed her the letter... as well as a couple dozen more.

"Here you go, yet another bunch of complaints from your phone company," Arms narrowed her eyes. "Seriously, Smooshy, I thought I told you not to abuse your phone!"

"I haven't been doing that, I've only been using it to take-" Smooshy posed and said "Photo!" before taking a selfie.

And then Arms grabbed the phone and flung it away. Phony, no!"

The elephantoid ran after the device, and Arms casually continued to the next letter. "Princess Gwendolyn?"

A dark-skinned princess with artistic features walked elegantly to Arms, posing dramatically once she reached the four-armed girl.

"It's a letter from the mime and foolduke of the kingdom of Mewni," Arms explained as she handed the letter. "I heard the latter got married."

"Ah yes, my artistic sister told me about that a while ago," Gwendolyn spoke, hugging the letter. "I was so overjoyed, I couldn't stop crying tears of joy!"

"So _you_ were the one that wasn't letting anybody sleep a couple days ago?" Arms pondered, raising an eyebrow. "And it sounded more like tears of sadness to me."

Gwendolyn flushed. "How dare you! I was just expressing my joy for a fellow art sister's engagement! I wasn't crying out of sadness at all!"

"Listen, Gwendolyn, I'm fairly certain the only people here who're straight are the headmistress and Gemini, everybody else is either a lesbian or biromantic, so stop hiding your feelings already," Arms folded her lower set of... arms, and shrugged with the upper set. "Besides, the mime's still single, as far as I'm aware."

Gwendolyn put a pouty face and walked back to her seat with her letters, leaving Arms to continue with the letters.

"Minos?"

The minotaur princess stood up and walked to the four-armed princess.

"You have more than one letter today," Arms remarked. "One's from your sister, but I can't tell who sent the other one."

"okay, let's do something," Minos grabbed the letter sent by Andrea. "I'll read the letter my sister sent me, and you read the other one."

Arms just shrugged and read Marco's letter while Minos went back to her seat to read Andrea's letter. As the four-armed princess read it, however, some princesses went closer to her and read as well, causing some gossip:

"So simple, yet so mysterious..."

"Maybe he wanted to flirt with her?"

"That's your first thought concerning anything, Ram."

"That could be the case!"

Arms checked the letter one more time, then saved it in her pocket before she left the room, with Gwendolyn looking at her before she followed her, hiding just before Arms checked her surroundings.

Once she saw nobody in the hallways, Arms power walked upstairs, towards the headmistress room.

"Phew, I saved it!" Smooshy remarked in relief as she walked back to the living room, only to spot Gwendolyn. "Gwen, what are you doing here?"

"Be quiet, you discount elephant!" Gwendolyn quietly snapped. "Arms took a letter and took it to the headmistress' room! I'm gonna go there, so please cover for me while I'm gone!"

Smooshy's eyes widened, and she narrowed them before nodding. She then bid farewell to Gwendolyn as she headed towards the headmistress' room, hiding whenever possible, just in case.

And once she reached the door, she looked through the keyhole to see the headmistress, Meteora, talking with Arms and her other assistant, Gemini.

"Marco..." Gemini repeated with a concerned tone. "That doesn't sound like a princess' name to me."

"I agree, it doesn't sound like the name of a princess, let alone a girl's name," Arms scratched her chin. "The person who wrote this letter must be a guy."

"But, why would a guy bother sending a letter to an all-female group? Specially one filled with royalty?" Meteora pondered out loud. "Whatever his intention is, he _has_ to know he's got no chance to get together with any of the girls, right?"

"Actually, if I may speak freely, the princesses seemed highly interested to meet this "Marco" the letter mentions," Arms said. "So much so, in fact, some of them even started wondering what he was like before I retrieved the letter."

"I'm interested in seeing him too, if only for his sheer audacity," Meteora looked back at the letter with a smile. "A guy who has the guts to write a letter to a princess in an all-female institution has to be seen to be believed."

"Mrs. Meteora, you know the dangers present in letting a guy enter the institution," Gemini stated with a concerned tone. "The same situation that forced us to split the institution into separate all-female and all-male establishments."

Meteora put the letter down and frowned. "So many hybrids that never got to be born..."

A preg... awkward silence filled the room, until Meteora got an idea:

"How about we write him an answer..."

Then she smirked.

"But play with his expectations?"

"I love it when she smirks like that," Gemini smiled.

Arms grimaced. "I don't, but hey, I'm not really allowed to complain. Give the order, Mrs. Meteora, and we'll get to it."

Meteora's smirk widened with playful intent... almost like a certain four-eyed beast on Earth...

 _ **Echo Creek Pier...**_

Jackie Lynn-Thomas sat on the edge of the docks, watching the ocean as her hair blew in the wind.

"You're waiting here already, huh?"

Jackie turned around and saw Mrs. Diaz walking towards her, holding a pair of grocery bags.

"I was going home after buying some groceries, when I saw you sitting here," Angie explained before she sat next to Jackie. "What specially caught my eye is how early you're here; You usually wait until sunset before you sit down here."

"I know, but today..." Jackie paused, then turned back at the ocean. "I just... felt like waiting here a bit earlier than usual."

Mrs. Diaz looked back at the ocean as well, smiling as she heard the sound of the waves crashing.

"Mrs. Diaz... do you think I'll join them soon?"

The woman turned back to Jackie, who was holding back her tears as she pulled her legs close to herself.

"Mom... And Dad... Will I join them soon?" Jackie whimpered. "Ever since those mewmans attacked us I... I can't stop thinking about that possibility..."

Jackie lowered her head. "And... When Lekmet appeared at the school... I remembered that time... I couldn't think about anything else other than get help..."

Jackie started crying. "What if... What if the mewmans attack again... What if the Magic High Commission strike... What if something even worse happens?"

Jackie planted her head against her knees. "I'm scared, Mrs. Diaz. I'm... Scared..."

The woman frowned with sympathy, having never seen the stoic skater girl being this emotional.

Not since she first met her, that is...

 _ **Flashback...**_

 _A slightly younger Mrs. Diaz walked down the streets of the pier, holding a pair of bags filled with groceries. During her walk back home, she spotted a certain blonde girl with a blue streak, sitting at the edge of the docks._

 _"Huh, isn't that the girl Marco likes?" Mrs. Diaz asked herself. "I should probably see what's up with her."_

 _The woman walked to the girl's side and sat down, catching her attention._

 _"W-Who are you, ma'am?" the younger Jackie asked in surprise._

 _Mrs. Diaz flinched in shock, though mostly 'cause she didn't expect a kid as young as Jackie to use "ma'am" to refer to her._

 _In fact, was she even supposed to know about that word?_

 _"I'm Angie Diaz, Marco Diaz's mother," Angie answered. "You know him, right? He told me you and him are classmates."_

 _"Marco Diaz? You mean the boy who tries too hard to act cool?" Jackie asked, and after a chuckle, the woman nodded. "I know him, yes. He's... interesting."_

 _The woman frowned, while maintaining her smile. "So, uh, let's change topics: What are you doing here?"_

 _"I'm waiting for Mom and Dad to come back," Jackie somberly answered._

 _The woman flinched, but tried to keep a positive outlook. "W-Well, how long have they been gone?"_

 _Jackie's eyes started to get watery. "A year."_

 _Mrs. Diaz's eyes grew wide as Jackie explained:_

 _"They left to go to a business meeting a year ago, but their ship hasn't come back yet. After a couple months, people were saying they were probably dead, but I refused to believe it. I've been waiting for their comeback since then, every day, at this dock."_

 _"Where the heck have you been staying, then?!" Mrs. Diaz asked with concern._

 _"A friend of mine allowed me to stay with her and her adoptive parent until mine came back," Jackie answered, focusing solely on the ocean. "And before you ask, yes, I believe they'll be back."_

 _Jackie started crying, but she tried to keep her composure._

 _"They're just... Taking longer than usual..."_

 _Jackie's composure started to falter as her voice cracked:_

 _"T-They'll... C-Come... B-Ba-Back... Some... Day..."_

 _ **The Present...**_

Mrs. Diaz leaned closer to Jackie and wrapped her in a tight hug, successfully, but slowly, calming her down.

"Nothing will happen to us, darling, I'll make sure of it," Mrs. Diaz stated as she brushed Jackie's hair in a reassuring manner. "Besides, the danger is over for now. We're safe, I assure you."

"B-But... M-Mom and Dad-"

"Your parents will return eventually, sweetie, but it will take some time," Mrs. Diaz said in a reassuring tone. "Until then, you just have to be patient, okay?"

Jackie remained motionless for a second, then returned the hug and said "G-Got it" with a little smile.

"Great, now, help me take the groceries home," Mrs. Diaz stated without breaking the hug. "I sure as heck am not letting you stay here for who-knows-how-long."

Jackie rolled her eyes. "I was only going to stay a couple hours!"

The girls laughed heartily afterwards, and Jackie glanced at the body of water one more time before she helped Mrs. Diaz with her bags, their hair blowing in the wind as they walked away.

 _ **Echo Creek School Library...**_

Janna tiredly organized some books in one shelf, while Mr. Candle dealt with another shelf. And, judging from the number of books next to her, she wasn't going to finish anytime soon.

She didn't complain, though, she just continued with her work, which eventually prompted Mr. Candle to whistle to her, gesturing her to come to him.

"What'd I do this time, Mr. Candle?" Janna frowned as she walked to the man. "I didn't complain like I usually do!"

"And that's exactly what caught my attention; You only ever do your job without complain when you want to ignore something that's bothering you," Mr. Candle put a hand on Janna's shoulder. "Before we continue, I want you to tell me what's wrong."

Janna cringed, practically confirming Mr. Candle's suspicions. "I-I'm not hiding anything, M-Mr. Candle."

"Janna, there's no point in trying to trick me: I can see past your deceits with ease," Mr. Candle stated, causing the girl to cringe once more. "Now tell me, what's bothering you?"

Janna looked all over the building, sweating profusely as she tried to come up with an excuse. Soon enough, she bluffed:

"I "accidentally" sent some nudes to Marco, only to realize too late that I think he prefers more developed bodies than mine!" Janna pulled her hair and flushed. "Oh, how embarrassing I'll be when he sees them!"

"Okay, while that _does_ sound like something you would do, didn't you tell me a while ago that he just came back from near death?" Mr. Candle pointed out, causing Janna to cringe once more. "You may have interesting tastes, but you still have standards."

Janna scratched her chin. "Y-Yeah, I guess I do..."

"Besides, Marco doesn't care about your body, Janna," the counselor added. "He's sharing you with Jackie Lynn-Thomas and Brittney Wong, and while the former _does_ have a more developed body, the latter doesn't, and he still loves all three of you."

Janna looked elsewhere with a stern tone. "I'd be a little happier if he actually picked one over the others already, though."

"Janna, I'm serious," Mr. Candle put his hands on his hips. "Tell me what's wrong with you right now."

"You sound like you're getting irritated," Janna remarked, rolling her eyes. "I thought counselors were supposed to stay calm at all times?"

"While on the job, I remain as calm as possible, but outside of it, I have no such obligation, specially considering who I'm talking about," Mr. Candle narrowed his eyes. "Besides, the only way I can help you is if you tell me what's bothering you, so stop stalling, and please, tell what's me the issue."

The beanie-wearing girl remained silent and focused on something else, trying to avoid eye contact with the man.

This eventually made Mr. Candle snap, "Janna!" as his arms were covered in red flames.

Janna winced and pulled her beanie down as she explained:

"Sabrina and Chantelle took my grimoire, and by extension Alfonzo and Ferguson, and I don't think I'll ever get them back!"

With the problem now known, Mr. Candle calmed down, the fire around his arms turning blue before vanishing from existence altogether.

"So, that's the issue, huh?" the counselor scratched the back of his head. "To be honest, I _was_ a bit curious as to why you didn't bring up the boys or the grimoire, but I figured you just chose not to use their help today."

"Sabrina said she and Chantelle were tired of waiting for me to free their boyfriends, so I had no choice but to give them the grimoire," Janna explained further. "I thought if I talked with Marco about it, then it would ease my worries, but it didn't work at all!"

Mr. Candle scratched his chin. "And how do you feel now that you don't have the book anymore?"

Janna frowned and folded her arms. "I feel... Like I lost an important part of myself: The part that allowed me to actually matter."

Me. Candle raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"

Janna looked at her surroundings, making sure there was nobody else before she tightly hugged the man.

"The book was the one thing that made me useful, Mr. Candle!" Janna stated, making sure to not shout it out loud. "I'm not as athletic as Jackie, I'm not as good as support as Brittney, and I don't even have Globgor's blessing, like Marco! Only with the book can I be of use! Heck, if it wasn't for the book, I probably wouldn't have been able to stall Mina for as long as I did!"

Janna held back tears. "Compared to the rest of my team... I'm nothing!"

Then, she tightened the hug. "Which is why, I need you to teach me fire magic!"

The man fell silent. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Humans can learn magic, the fact you can cast fire-themed magic proves that!" Janna stated. "If I learn how to use magic, then I won't need to depend on the book anymore, and I can actually matter in a fight!"

"I'm not so sure it'll be that easy, Janna," Mr. Candle replied with a concerned tone. "Humans can't cast magic naturally; It's a process that takes years to master. And if you need to learn magic now, you'd need some sort of artifact that allows you to cast magic in the first place."

"I don't care! I'll do whatever it takes!" Janna exclaimed. "I'll get another artifact, I'll engage in a signed marriage, I'll even clean my room everyday from now on! Just please, teach me!"

Mr. Candle frowned. "Janna..."

 _ **Flashback...**_

 _Mr. Candle was carrying a pile of books to somewhere when he heard a desperate voice plead:_

 _"Free them, dang it!"_

 _The guy put the books down, and followed the voice as it started exclaiming "Liberato!" over and over again._

 _Eventually he reached the voice: Which was none other than a younger Janna, looking at the book with a mix of rage and sadness as Alfonzo and Ferguson flew besides her._

 _"Janna, you already tried that spell several times," Ferguson said. "Give it a rest already."_

 _"Yeah, I mean, you've been chanting the spell since last night!" Alfonzo added. "Come on, get some rest so you can enjoy your sunday-"_

 _"No! Not until I get this stupid spell to work!" Janna yelled, slamming her fist down the table. "Chantelle and Sabrina are already angry at me for "trapping" you in this grimoire! If they tattle on me with Mr. Candle, I'll lose you! I'll lose the grimoire!"_

 _Mr. Candle frowned as Janna shed a couple tears and weakly finished:_

 _"I'll lose the only thing that makes me useful..."_

 _ **The Present...**_

"I... I can't just remain a normal, powerless human, Mr. Candle," Janna stated. "I need to be able to help my friends. I need to be of use somehow. So, please, teach me fire magic!"

"I see..." Mr. Candle said, getting Janna's attention. "Well, I'm not one for fighting, but I'll try see if my old master's willing to teach you."

Janna's eyes lit up in relief and excitement, having an idea on who this master could be...

 _ **The Tower...**_

On the very last floor, Brittney, alongside Sabrina and the grimoire, stood in front of Globgor, who looked at Brittney's magical artifact before he handed it back.

"Okay, so, I checked this thing, and..." Globgor hesitated. "Brittney, I don't really feel comfortable telling you this, but your artifact's been corrupted."

"Corrupted?" Brittney repeated, glancing at her pendant worriedly. "H-How?"

"Well, I don't feel comfortable bringing up the gem replacing your eye, but it has something to do with that," Globgor sighed. "The gem's been absorbing your pendant's magical properties for a while, until it was basically left nearly drained."

Brittney clutched her left eye... Gem... Stuff. "Is there a way to stop it?!"

"The only way to get that gem out of your eye, without killing you in the process, would be to go to the gem's designated point of restoration, my old home," Globgor explained. "However, in exchange, a physical manifestation of your "guest" will manifest, and you'll have to defeat her if you wanna get out alive."

"We'll do whatever it takes to get the gem out of Brittney's eye, no matter what," Sabrina stated with determination. "So, how do we get there?"

"It's located in the middle of some mountains, which means you'll need to fly if you want to get there quickly," the behemoth sighed sadly. "Alongside that, the door needs a key to be opened, a key that's currently owned by my ex-wife."

The girls tilted their heads. "Ex-wife?"

Globgor put his palm above the ground next to the cheerleaders, and generated some dark matter that morphed into Eclipsa.

"This is her, Eclipsa Butterfly, one of the current monarchs of Mewni," Globgor said sadly. "Don't let her friendly gaze fool you, behind that smile lays an insensitive, racist woman with the mentality of a spoiled brat."

"And how do we get her to give us the key?" Brittney asked.

Globgor dematerialized the fake Eclipsa, before letting out a laughing riot that echoed across the entire tower, only stopping when he saw the cheerleaders waiting for his answer.

"You're serious?" the monster scratched his chin, then got an idea. "Eclipsa won't give you the key on her own, but there's someone that can help you _convince_ her to do so."

The behemoth repeated the stuff with the black matter, this time morphing it into Meteora.

"This is our daughter, Meteora."

Sabrina whistled. "She's hot."

Globgor wasn't amused. "Anyway, she's much more reasonable than Eclipsa, so if you explain to her what's the matter, then I'm sure she'd be glad to help."

"Where can we find her?" Brittney asked.

"Her school: St. Meteora's Reformatory For Wayward Princesses," Globgor dematerialized the fake Meteora and sighed sadly. "Unfortunately, though, I never got to see the place myself, so I can't give you an image of what it looks like."

"It's okay, we'll see what we can do," Brittney bowed down. "Thanks for the help, King Globgor."

The behemoth waved his hand. "Oh please, no need to be so formal, Brittney."

"Thanks, Globby Gory!" Sabrina chirped.

"Hey! Brittney doesn't need to be formal because her family's on good terms with me," the king of monsters growled. "You, on the other hand, must treat me with respect!"

"A-Alright, sorry, King Globgor," Sabrina put up a nervous smile. "W-Well, we gotta get going."

With that said, the girls bis farewell to the monster king and went to the teleporter, which took them right back to the first floor.

"So, Sabrina, where's the grimoire?" Brittney inquired. "You know, the one you got from Janna?"

"Chantelle has it for today; Tomorrow I'll have it, the next Day she'll have it and so on and so forth," the redhead explained, placing her arms behind her head. "We agreed to that on the basis that _both_ our boyfriends are in that thing, so we should try sharing it."

Brittney frowned. "I see..."

"Anyway, I'm still dumbfounded as to how Mr. Diaz and Globgor are friends," Sabrina said. "Don't get me wrong, the big guy's certainly friendly, but still... how?"

"I asked him the same thing," Brittney answered, shaking her head with a little smile. "All he told me was that it was a long story."

"I see..." Sabrina looked elsewhere. "So, remember when Mr. Diaz told me you had a bad encounter with septarians? How did you get out of that jam?"

Brittney scratched her chin and looked at the ceiling. "Hmmm..."

 _ **Flashback, Lower Levels of The Tower...**_

 _Brittney, now sporting several bruises, was pinned against a wall by Toffee, who seemed visibly exasperated with the girl. They were also still surrounded by about a dozen septarians, looking just as angry as their leader._

 _"My patience wears thin, child," Toffee hissed, narrowing his eyes. "Tell me what you know about Ubaldo right now!"_

 _"I already told you, I know nothing about him!" Brittney spat. "Geez, what makes you think that just because I used that name, that I know who he is?!"_

 _"Because there's only one Ubaldo in all of Echo Creek! The very same bastard that stole half my soul!" Toffee tightened his grip as his septarian followers leaned closer. "Now, for the last time-"_

 _Suddenly, a piercing rooster's call caused the septarians to cover their ears, or where they would have ears anyway, and run away, freeing Brittney in the process._

 _The girl caught her breath as a pair of shadowy figures approached her, saying:_

 _"Huh, would you look at that, the rooster's call really did hurt them."_

 _"I told you they were related to basilisks."_

 _"That's still no excuse to use that as a slur against them, Marco."_

 _"Dad, you know what they did to me and the girls, so please stop getting on their side. Now help me take her to him."_

 _Brittney briefly collapsed, and next thing she knew, she was at the top of the tower, with Marco and his father looking at her with relieved smiles._

 _"Marco... Diaz?" Brittney blurted, only to snap. "What are you doing here!? What were those monsters!? Why did they kidnap me as soon as I said your-"_

 _Mr. Diaz covered Brittney's mouth just as the girl's injuries acted up, forcing her to lay back._

 _"We'll explain later, for now, just relax," Mr. Diaz stated._

 _Which was followed by Marco snarking, "Yeah, you got a lot of injuries thanks to those walking iguanas."_

 _"Marco!" Mr. Diaz exclaimed in disapproval._

 _The boy rolled his eyes. "Dad, we already talked about this!"_

 _"Don't worry, Brittney," Mr. diaz said, brushing the girl's hair as he released her mouth. "Globgor will fix you up real soon."_

 _The cheerleader raised an eyebrow. "Who's Globgor?"_

 _"Uh, that would be me."_

 _A chill went down Brittney's spine as she looked up to see Globgor staring at her, before flashing a toothy smile and waving a hand._

 _"Hi."_

 _ **The Present...**_

"I wet myself the very first time I saw him, but once I saw how nice of a guy Globgor was, my fear was mostly dealt with," Brittney spoke. "After a couple more visits to his room, I even took a liking to him!"

"Surprising that the most inhuman-looking being in the tower also happens to be the friendliest, right?" Sabrina remarked, rolling her eyes. "Makes you wonder what kind of people the mewmans were to convince him to move here."

Brittney frowned, and Sabrina quickly added, "B-But, we got a new ally on our side! That's a good thing!"

Just then, the girls finally reached the exit of the tower, where they were greeted by a familiar bleating.

The bleating came from none other than Lekmet, who stood outside, waving hello as the girls ran to him, Brittney going so far as to hug him.

"Lekmet!" Brittney chirped as she tightened the hug. "It's so good to see you're okay! I was so worried!"

"You're the monster we protected yesterday, right?" Sabrina asked as she walked to the chairman and extended her hand. "I'm Sabrina, Brittney's second in-command. I lead the charge against the teachers."

Lekmet shook hands with the redhead, then separated from Brittney before bleating again.

"I'm sorry, I don't speak bleating," Brittney sheepishly admitted.

The goat-like chairman promptly took out a paper from his back and handed it to Brittney, who quickly read it before asking:

"You want to teach me something?"

Lekmet nodded with a little smile.

Brittney tilted her head. "What do you want to teach me?"

 _ **Diaz Household...**_

Marco sat on the couch, head hung low as he pondered about what Sabrina and Chantelle told him yesterday. He was soon joined by his father, who sat next to him.

"What's wrong, Marco?" Rafael asked. "You seem a lot sadder than usual."

"...Dad, am I a bad person for not wanting to stick with one "girlfriend?" Marco asked, looking at the ground somberly.

A chill went down Mr. Diaz's spine. Romantic advice was something Angie was an expert at, so why would his son ask _him_ for his opinion?!

"If you're wondering why I'm asking you and not Mom, it's because I need the point of view on someone who's truly neutral about the issue," the boy explained. "Mom always tells me that no, it's not a bad thing as long as I give attention to each and every girl. But honestly, I feel she says that just so she doesn't lose her "daughters," so to speak."

"W-Well, your mother and the girls do share a notable bond," Mr. Diaz scratched the back of his head. "And besides, after what happened with... You-know-who, she would do anything to keep a child with her."

"Brother..." Marco shook his head. "W-Whatever! This is about the harem being a bad idea, not family ties!"

"Well, again, your mother and your girls have a mother-daughter kind of bond, so family ties-" the man stopped when he saw his son give him an angry look. "S-Sorry. But, is that really the only reason you're asking?"

"No, I'm also asking because, when I first met the Mewman Queen whose name I don't remember, I think it was Scar Battersky, she told me that if I didn't pick a single girlfriend, then all three of the girls would get angry, and things would get worse between us," Marco sighed. "I didn't pay attention to her back then; I figured her prediction wouldn't come true. But I also believed she wouldn't try to kill me as long as I acted reasonable, and... Well, you know what happened next."

"But I thought you didn't like mewmans?" Rafael asked.

"Oh believe me, my meeting with her did _nothing_ to improve my views on mewmans," Marco harshly stated, only to frown. "But, I can't help but feel she's right, somehow."

Marco put a hand on his cheek. "And I think it has to do with... Valentine's Day."

 _ **Last Year, Echo Creek School...**_

 _Marco sat all alone on a bench, with a large number of bruises all over his body: Face, arms, legs, even his groin, no body part seemed to be completely undamaged._

 _Not only that, but Marco stared firmly at the ground with a look that made one thing clear: He felt dead inside._

 _"Marco?"_

 _The guy weakly looked up, shaking as he saw the one speaking to him were Jackie, Janna, and Brittney, the last one sporting her eye-covering fringe from the present._

 _"Looks like everybody left you in a bad shape," Brittney walked closer to Marco and crouched down. "Do you want me to take you to the nurse's office?"_

 _The guy shook his head._

 _"But Marco, you're in horrible conditions!" Brittney clasped the guy's hand. "We need to take you somewhere so you can rest!"_

 _"We could take him to the tower, I'm sure Globgor wouldn't mind fixing him up," Janna said as she walked forward and crouched next to Brittney. "However, who should take him to the tower?"_

 _Brittney raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"_

 _"Well, knowing the big guy, or some of his followers, they may think that whoever takes Marco is his girlfriend," Janna adjusted her glasses. "And, to take the brunt of it, I suggest I should go."_

 _"Oh come on, Janna, are you for real?!" Brittney snapped at the beanie-wearing girl. "I mean, that's a stupid reason to pick only one of us! And even if it was legitimate, Jackie, his actual girlfriend, would be picked!"_

 _Brittney turned to the skater. "Right, Jackie?!"_

 _However, what Brittney wound up seeing was a shivering Jackie staring strictly at the bruised Marco, looking like she was on the verge of tears._

 _"I think she's in a state of shock," Janna spoke. "I nominate myself once more to be the girlfriend that takes him to the tower."_

 _"You're not his girlfriend, you're just a pest!" Brittney spat. "Who cares if whoever takes him is his girlfriend or not!?"_

 _"Ask him yourself, dammit!" Jackie snapped, getting the duo's attention. "Marco's the one who needs help, let him decide who'll take him to the big guy!"_

 _A short silence passed, and Janna and Brittney turned back to the bruised guy._

 _"Alright, let's try that out, Marco, nod when you agree which girlfriend will take you," Janna said, earning exasperated groans from the other girls. "First, how about Jackie?"_

 _Marco didn't respond._

 _"Okay, and Brittney?"_

 _Same response._

 _"And me?"_

 _Still nothing._

 _"How about you date all of us?!" Jackie exclaimed, stopping the ground. "Not me, not Janna, not Brittney, all of us together! We'll take you to the tower together, and we will be your girlfriends, together!"_

 _Janna and Brittney shot looks at Jackie, flabbergasted at what the athlete had suggested. Though Brittney seemed more worried than shocked, and Janna had a little mix of anger in her look._

 _But then, the girls turned back to Marco, who weakly scratched his chin as he thought about it, to the best of his ability._

 _And after a while, he smiled, and nodded._

 _ **Present...**_

"I didn't even say anything, I just nodded," Marco sighed, holding back tears. "I nodded to have _all three_ of them as my girlfriends. I didn't want to lose any of them. And now... I can't help but feel... I didn't think anything through."

"Marco, you weren't in the best state of mind when the girls approached you," Mr. Diaz patted his son's back. "Whatever they could've said to you, as long as it wasn't something mean, wouldn't have mattered: You needed time to rest, and until then, all you could've done was nod."

"Maybe, but now that I _am_ mentally well, I'm not sure if keeping all three of them as my "girlfriends" is a good idea," Marco sulked. "But the idea that once I pick one, the other two will abandon me is just... I can't take it."

"Just give it time, son," Mr. Diaz patted his son's back. "Rushing into things won't help anybody. Think this through, in fact, ask the girls what they think, maybe they can help you decide?"

The guy shot a bemused look at his father, before he hugged him tightly, gently saying:

"Thanks, Dad."

Rafael smiled and returned the hug, saying:

"You're welcome, Marco."

Marco briefly separated from the man. "Call me by my _real_ name."

"Haha, alright then..." Mr. Diaz took a deep breath. "S-"

The man covered his mouth, earning a confused look from his son before he corrected himself: "Junior!"

Rafael beamed a nervous smile, and Marco just laughed it off, returning to the hug as Rafael joined in, sounding a little bit concerned.


	15. Message Received

**So, I think it's clear that I have no way of measuring the length of chapters in my current setup. But that's not gonna stop me from writing as much as I want!**

 **Although the slow down and lag I get as the archives get bigger might be a decent indicator I'm getting way too ahead of myself.**

 **Anyway, remember the Pixie empress? Alfonzo's former wife that could've opened an interesting subplot but was then randomly discarded to never be seen again?**

 **Guess who's in this chapter! And while you do that, let's answer some reviews:**

 **1) Nobody245: Again, let's hope the king takes his time before working his magic.**

 **And now, to the chapter!**

* * *

 _ **The Pixie Empire...**_

Eclipsa slammed her fists down the table as she scanned the scene before her: The empress of the pixies stood at the other end, sporting a smug look as Eclipsa's share of poker currency was handed to the empress' side.

"And that's your 12th loss in a row," the empress pointed out. "You know? I get the feeling that, had we used actual currency, you would be broke after the first few rounds."

The empress shook her head. "I suppose I shouldn't expect much from you. After all, ever since you and Globgor divorced, your skills have been quite subpar."

The empress then leaned forward. "It hurts, doesn't it? To hold a relationship for nearly a hundred years, only for it to fall apart one fateful day."

"At least we had a lasting relationship!" Eclipsa snapped at the empress. "You and your "husbands" barely spend a couple days together before you either eat them or, the more likely case, they leave you!"

Eclipsa smirked. "And besides, _I_ didn't let my daughter get kidnapped under my nose!"

The Pixie empress slammed her hands on the table. "Maybe so, but at least my personality isn't responsible for driving my husbands away!"

"As if eating them alive was any better!" Eclipsa clutched the tiny empress and lifted her straight to her face. "Now listen up, Tinkerbitch, I-"

Suddenly, Moon separated the queen and the empress. "Okay you two, stop it."

"Moon?!" Eclipsa growled. "What are you doing here?!"

"I'm arriving just in time to prevent you from starting another conflict with the pixies!" Moon scolded the woman, only to gently smile as she faced the empress next. "Sorry for whatever happened, your majesty, we'll be leaving now."

"Good, say hi to Globgor to me," the empress answered, only to gasp and smugly grin as she turned to Eclipsa. "Oh wait, he doesn't live with you anymore, does he, Eclipsa?!"

Eclipsa's arms shivered as Moon quickly took her out of the palace and out of Pixtopia altogether, taking them directly back to Mewni.

"Puew, that was a close one," Moon said as she caught her breath. "Thanks for not destroying the pla-"

However, once Moon turned around, she saw Eclipsa holding a giant sphere of darkness that she was aiming directly at Moon.

"Stress Relieving Darkness Balloon!"

Eclipsa threw the sphere at Moon, who quickly created a baseball bat out of thin air, which she used to try and smack the sphere away. However, as soon as she hit the sphere, it exploded, leaving Moon covered in dust while dark blue confetti flew down.

"Aw man, I really needed that!" Eclipsa said as she stretched, oblivious to Moon's furious glare. "Nothing like putting all your stress and worries inside a balloon and throwing it away, right, Moon?"

Eclipsa was promptly smacked by the ice bat so hard, she left a crack on the floor.

"Don't act like it wasn't a big deal, you childish buffoon!" Moon yelled as Eclipsa got back up. "You could've killed me with that attack, you know!?"

"Nah, not really: Even if I _was_ trying to kill you, it probably wouldn't have worked," Eclipsa answered as she dusted herself. "Anyway, what did you need me here for?"

"Well, it's about something your daughter did, according to one of the princesses at her school," Moon looked elsewhere and scratched the back of her head. "Remember a century ago, when there were those multiple impregnations in her school that caused a big scandal?"

Eclipsa raised an eyebrow, confused on what Moon meant, but she soon got a horrifying idea:

"Wait, don't tell me-"

 _ **On Earth...**_

Marco, alongside Brittney and the other cheerleaders, rested at the training field before Andrea arrived with a letter for Marco.

"Marco, you have a letter from St. Meteora's, my sister's school!" the dark-skinned cheerleader chirped as she handed the letter.

"She actually read it?!" Marco exclaimed in shock. "I thought she was just going to ignore it, or throw it into the trashcan, or something."

Sabrina raised an eyebrow. "Why would she do that?"

Marco shrugged. "I dunno, just speaking from experience; Whenever I tried sending any girl a letter, that's exactly what they'd do."

Brittney looked at the ground regretfully. "Sorry."

"Nah, it's okay, the past is in the past," Marco brushed Brittney's head while also focusing on the letter. "And besides, it is kinda unfair for me to assume Andrea's sister would be like the girls I dealt with when I was younger."

"Oh my sister read it, but she's not the one who responded," Andrea answered. "Her headmistress did."

Marco stopped brushing and turned to Andrea. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Yeah, she called me a while ago, and the letter she sent was actually written by the headmistress of her school," the dark-skinned cheerleader answered. "Anyway, she said she's actually fairly nice when she's not angry, so don't worry about the letter: Open it, and let's see what she wrote."

So the guy opened the letter and read it out loud:

 _Dear Marco Diaz,_

 _It's a surprise to receive a letter from a commoner unaffiliated with any of our princesses. Especially when the sender's name is of the opposite sex._

 _We would like you to come visit, the princesses are **very** interested in meeting you in person. So, tomorrow at around 4 pm, your time, we'll send a carriage for you and up to two guests to come with you. No, you can't invite male guests._

 _Etiquette and elegance is important in our institution, so we request that both you and any guests you bring wear some kind of well-maintained, clean dresses, and please be on your best behavior when you arrive at the institution._

 _And no, you can't reject the invitation._

 _Signed, Headmistress Meteora._

And the thing Marco took from the letter?:

"They think I'm a girl?!"

"It says here that a carriage will come pick Marco up at 4 pm, tomorrow, at Earth's time!" Andrea explained as she and the rest of the cheerleaders looked at the letter closely. "The headmistress also writes that both she and the princesses are excited to see him!"

"Alright!" Ed raised his fist. "Marco's going to get another girlfriend!"

"Don't be ridiculous! He'll get _two_ new girlfriends: my sister, and whoever you had in mind," Andrea stated proudly. "Hopefully not the headmistress, though, I just... Don't think it would work out."

"Anyway, aren't these news great, Marco?!" Brittney told the guy. "You not only will get to relax from Jackie and Janna's dramas, but you'll get to see a new location and new people as well!"

Marco, however, was still shell-shocked from one thing: "They think I'm a _girl_..."

"You'll go to another dimension! How many humans can claim to have done that?!" Andrea chirped, only to notice Marco's shock. "Hey, Marco, are you alright?"

The guy narrowed his eyes and snapped:

"They! Think! _I'm!_ _ **A girl!**_ "

"Well, you never specified your gender in your letter, and the school's female-only, so maybe they just assumed you were a girl?" Andrea reasoned, or at least, tried to. "Although, how they figured you were a girl with a name like _Marco_ is beyond me."

"And besides, is there anything wrong with being a girl?" Chantelle sternly asked.

Marco rolled his eyes. "No, except for the fact that I'm _not_ a freaking girl!"

"Yeah, Marco's a guy!" Ed stated.

Brittney narrowed her eyes. "He didn't say that, Ed! Don't put words in his mouth!"

"Okay, let's just recap before we get into a fight: I'm not a boy or a girl, I'm just Marco," the guy pointed at the letter. "And according to _this_ piece of paper, I have to go to a school filled with princesses."

Marco paused, then lowered his head in exasperation. "I only hope that those girls are either lesbians or not interested in guys, because if they find out my real gender, I might be in trouble."

"Being discovered as a guy in an all-female institution, where most of the girls are most likely troublemakerd thirsty for some guy-on-girl action," Chantelle recapped out loud. "And you think that's a bad thing?! You're weird, Marco."

"Whatever, let's just get this over with," Marco sighed. "I think there's a store that sells fancy clothing nearby."

Marco, Brittney, and the cheerleaders walked down the aisle towards the store the guy mentioned, with him taking the time to call Jackie:

"Hi Jackie, it's Marco, I'm heading to a store in order to buy a dress, long story, and I wanted to know if you'd like to come... You're busy at work? I thought the Scum Bucket was only open on weekends... Okay, weekends _and_ Fridays... I see... Well, good luck at work."

And as that happened, Brittney called Janna:

"Hi Janna, Marco and I are going to a store to buy some dresses-long story-so, wanna come?... You can't?... Oh, you need to get ready to go somewhere with Mr. Candle? Okay, got it, have a fun trip!"

With that done, Marco and Brittney hung up their phones and Marco said:

"Looks like it's just me and you guys."

The cheerleaders, besides Brittney and Sabrina, chirped up at the statement, raising their fists and shouting "Hell Yeah!" at the top of their lungs.

"By the way, are you sure you'll have enough patience to help me find a dress?" Marco asked Sabrina. "I mean, I have high standards when it comes to clothing."

"Said the guy who's only ever seen in a grey shirt, red hoodie, black jeans and green shoes," Andrea spoke, rolling her eyes.

"That's casual clothing that can be worn over and over again as many times as necessary," Marco responded sternly. "Fancy clothing like a dress fit for a princess needs much more thought put into it, so this could take a while."

"Well, don't worry about us being impatient, Marco," Chantelle answered. "We'll be as patient as possible, and nyothing will cause us to lose our cool!"

Marco's response?

"Valentine's Day."

The cheerleaders stopped right then and there, anger surging through their body as Marco walked a couple more feet away, then stopped, turned to the cheerleaders, and spread his arms wide moments before they lunged at and attacked him, with Brittney joining in the fight as support for Marco.

 _ **An Hour Later, at the Clothing Store...**_

The cheerleaders searched through the available dresses, while Marco sat somewhere nearby, with an obvious black eye... And not much else. Brittney sat next to him, sporting a black eye and several more injuries, which Marco was trying to heal.

"H-Hey, sorry about our reaction," Sabrina sheepishly told the duo, with the rest of the duo nodding in agreement. "It's just that, you know-"

Marco narrowed his eyes, which started glowing yellow as he hissed, in a much deeper voice than usual:

"Shut up and get back to dress searching."

"Y-Yes!" Sabrina and the cheerleaders went back to the dresses. "Sorry for bothering you!"

"Hey, what kind of dress are we looking for, anyway?" Chantelle inquired, raising an eyebrow. "I just realized we never agreed about that."

Marco smiled and calmed down, turning his voice back to normal. "Well, it's simple really."

The guy stood up and posed like an action hero. "I want something that makes me look badass when the time comes for a fight!"

Then, swapped that pose for a ballerina one. "But that gives off an air of elegance, whether I'm kicking mewman butts, or dancing like the fairest maiden in all the land!"

The cheerleaders fell silent.

"I don't think such a dress exists, Marco," Brittney spoke, getting the boy's attention. "And if it does, I doubt it's appropriate for a simple visit to another dimension."

Marco crouched down and started petting the captain. "It's okay, Brittney, I'm sure we'll manage somehow."

"Hey! I wannya be petted too!" Chantelle whined.

Marco turned to Chantelle with a smile. "What did you say, Chantelle?"

And then he took out a collar and a leash. "You "wannya" be my pet?"

"N-No thanks," the feline cheerleader backed away slowly. "I-I'll go help Andrea."

The cat-like Chantelle ran away on all four of her limbs, leaving Marco alone with Brittney.

"You

"Nonsense, I'm our group's safe kid," Marco answered with a cheerful tone. "If I can't even heal one of my teammates, what good am I for?"

Brittney lowered her head and frowned, feeling a little saddened at the boy's melancholic message.

"Say, Brittney, you had something you wanted to talk about, right?" Marco blurted, getting the cheerleader captain's attention. "What is it?"

Brittney looked elsewhere. "Well, remember the goat monster the cheerleaders and I protected from the teachers?"

Marco looked at the ceiling, then shrugged. "Let's assume I do."

"I met him when Sabrina and I were leaving the tower yesterday," Brittney scratched the back of her head. "And he gave me a paper that read, that he wanted to teach me something "life magic."

Marco frowned, narrowing his eyes. "The magic to manipulate life itself?"

"You know what it is?!" Brittney asked surprised. "W-Well, what is it?"

"Life magic" is just the name given to any type of magic that involves the manipulation of an entity's lifeforce, unlike death magic, which is about manipulating the dead," Marco clasped his hands. "With life magic, the user can absorb, deteriorate, accelerate, shorten, enhance, or outright revive a fallen person."

Brittney smiled. "Huh, sounds like something useful-"

"However, magic this powerful is difficult to control, let alone master, and the slightest mistake could end with the user having their own lifeforce tampered," Marco finished sternly. "So, if you want to learn this magic, you have to keep all of that in mind."

Brittney sulked, and Marco quickly added, "I'm not saying you _shouldn't_ practice it, I'm saying there's a lot of things to take into account."

"I know, I just... Can't help but be worried about how Mrs. and Mr. Diaz are going to take it," Brittney sighed. "By the way, have you seen Mrs. Diaz? I haven't seen her since this morning."

Marco scratched his chin. "She said she was heading to the tower to train her magic with Globgor."

 _ **Top of the Tower...**_

Mrs. Diaz, with both arms uncovered and her cheekmark visible, swung her shadow arms as they morphed into swords, allowing her to cut some artificial monsters into bits. She continued doing this while Globgor watched her closely, looking intently as Angie took a deep breath and looked around for more monsters.

"Globgor, summon more monsters!" Angie snapped at the behemoth. "I need some more time to train!"

"I think that's enough for today," Globgor stated.

"No, it's not!" Angie yelled, turning to the monster to reveal her face was partially covered in the same dark matter as her arms. "I need to kill more monsters in order to-"

Suddenly, the behemoth grabbed Angie with his hand and lifted her up to his face.

"Angie, you need to calm down," Globgor stated as he surrounded the woman in a purple aura. "The more anger, anguish, or just general negativity that you feel, the faster the magic corrupts you."

Once he finished a moment later, he put the woman back on the ground. "If you're not careful, the magic will corrupt you completely before you get the chance to control it."

"Yeah... You're right..." Angie sat down as the darkness went back to only covering most of her arms. "Sorry, Globgor, I just-I can't keep my emotions in control, and it's all because of the mewmans!"

Globgor raised an eyebrow.

"First two of their supreme leaders come to our house and nearly-kinda-actually killed my son, then, some of their soldiers arrive to kidnap Brittney, but they take Mina instead," Angie recapped, ruffling her hair. "And as if that wasn't enough, my family has to go check-in with the council of queens to get our monthly supplies for our museum! And you can bet that I'm not excited to see them after the incident I just mentioned!"

Angie looked elsewhere. "And I'm also worried about Marco and the girls. I mean, I already lost a child before Marco was even born, and though we're not related, I see the girls as my daughters in a sense."

Mrs. Diaz started shedding tears. "I... I want to be able to protect them. I want to make sure they never get caught in harm's way ever again."

"I understand Your concern, Angie, but you need to try stay collected," the monster king spoke. "Otherwise, you will become a monster, and then, you'll be just as much of a danger to your "children" as the mewmans, if not even more so."

Angie flinched and wiped her tears.

"Listen, how about you take a breather, and go back and prepare the trip with Rafael," Globgor smiled. "And hey, if the mewmans get on your nerves, just give me a call, and I'll lay waste to their entire kingdom if needed."

Angie chuckled and stood up. "Thanks for the offer, but if we're going to give you a call, it has to be as a last resort."

Mrs. Diaz looked at her darkness-tainted arm and clenched it as she stated:

"Only when the mewmans have done something unforgivable, and there's no other way to teach them a lesson, we'll give you a call so you can destroy everything they hold dear: Their kingdom, their history, their pride, their very lives even."

Angie turned back to Globgor, who was listening to her.

"That, is a promise, King Globgor."


	16. The Reformatory

**Yup, another double update for this week: on both Monday and Friday. I may keep this updating schedule (1 chapter one week, 2 chapters on another) but I can't guarantee anything more than that I'll try.**

 **Anyway, I got some definite good news: I have the end goal for this arc already in my mind. I'm not close to writing it, of course, but at least I know what I'll be doing when I cross that bridge.**

 **And now, let's answer some reviews:**

 **1)** ** **Nobody245:****

 ** *** I guess Marco and Andrea didn't think about that. Besides, if they know he's a guy, he might be in even**** ** ** _more_**** ** **danger from the thirsty princesses.****

 ** *** Last chapter establishes that something happened, and while I can't reveal what happened due to it's spoilery nature, let's just say it taught Marco to be careful before going on the dating game.****

 ** *** By sober, did you mean somber? If so, I'm glad it cheered you up :)****

 **Okay enough answering! Yo the chapter and beyond!**

* * *

Marco and Andrea walked down the staircase of the Diaz household as the latter guided the former to the door. They were both wearing dresses: Andrea wearing a simple green, and Marco wearing a hot pink one that slightly accentuated his figure, while keeping a childlike charm to it.

If Marco's angry look was anything to go by, though, the charm wasn't affecting him.

"Well, today's the day," Marco Darkly said. "The day I lose all dignity."

"Oh come on, Marco, don't be so negative," Andrea remarked. "We've already told you a dozen times: The dress looks nice on you."

"It's not the dress that worries me," Marco shook his head. "It's the people's reactions to see me walk out like this."

"Will there really be anybody outside at this hour?" Andrea asked. "I mean, it's around 5 pm. Nobody's out at this hour, right?"

The duo got out, and the first thing they saw besides the carriage arriving were the rest of the cheerleaders, and Alfonzo and Ferguson.

And besides Brittney, who sported a grey dress for some reason, they all blushed as they told the guy some compliments:

"That dress really suits you!"

"I like your tentacle ponytail?"

"You're the prettiest guy-in-a-dress we've ever seen."

Marco promptly collapsed on the ground, whispering to himself:

"Just as I feared, their compliments are especially painful to hear."

Andrea and Brittney helped Marco get up and lead him to the carriage.

"Brittney?" Marco asked in surprise. "You're coming with us?"

"Yeah, Globgor said that my best bet to reach the temple to get rid of my gem-eye is his daughter," Brittney nodded. "And he said she's at St. Meteora's Reformatory, and you and Andrea are going there, so I figured coming with you was the most logical choice."

With that said, the trio entered the carriage, and it rode off into a portal, which sent them straight to Meteora's reformatory, giving the trio a good look at the building.

"Well, this place certainly looks welcoming," Marco said rolling his eyes.

"Why didn't you tell us The place looked like this, Andrea?" Brittney asked the dark-skinned cheerleader.

"My sister never described the place to me, and this is the first time I'm visiting her in person," Andrea answered. "And since this place is in another dimension, searching for it on the internet didn't work."

"Well, whatever, let's go in," Marco stated as he got off the carriage. "The sooner we get this over with, the better."

The girls got off the carriage, and the trio walked to the entrance, where Arms was waiting for them.

"I'm assuming you're the guests that were coming today," Arms eyed the girls. "Who are you?"

"I'm Andrea, the sister of Minos, one of the princesses here," Andrea answered before pointing at Brittney, who bowed down. "This is the captain of the cheerleaders, Brittney. She tagged along."

Arms wordlessly turned to Marco. "And you are?"

"I'm Marco Diaz, the guy the letter mentioned," Marco said. "Nice to meet you...?"

"Arms," the second in-command answered.

Marco gave her a "are you serious?" look. "Okay, give me your actual name now."

"... Armanda Quadrarchy," Arms blushed and looked elsewhere. "From the Quadrarchy of the North."

"Huh, Quadrarchy?" Marco tilted his head. "Is your family named after the actual kingdom, or is the kingdom named after your family name?"

"The latter, our ancestors were a little bit on the nose, if you know what I mean," Arms checked Marco. "Anyway, why are you wearing a dress?"

Brittney explained, "The invitation said that he had to wear a dress or else he'd be kicked out of the place."

"It aldo referred to him as a female, for some reason," Andrea added.

"A joke," Arms revealed. "As soon as we analyzed the letter, we figured you were a guy, but the headmistress was in the mood to play a prank on you. Sorry."

Marco chuckled for a moment, then grabbed Arms' cheeks, pulled her forward face-to-face with him, and he opened both his eyes, which we're glowing yellow as he barked:

"Guide me to the headmistress' room!"

 ** _Outside said room..._**

Arms lead the guy to Meteora's room-office-place, where Gemini was standing guard.

"Halt!" he exclaimed as Marco approached him. "Who wants to see Meteora?!"

"I'm Marco Diaz, the guy that sent a letter here a while ago," Marco stated before pushing Gemini aside. "And I was just told that the headmistress played me a little prank, and I wanna give her a piece of my mind."

"Um, she might be getting dressed right now," Arms remarked as Marco grabbed the doorknob. "You might want to wait a minute or two."

Marco didn't listen, and just opened the door.

"Headmistress! I have a complaint to make!"

However, the first thing he saw inside was a blushing Meteora getting dressed with Eclipsa and Moon's help, who were blocking the more naked parts of her.

Flustered, Marco shouted "I'll complain later!" and slammed the door shut, before sulking on the floor.

"I warned you that she might be getting dressed," Arms sighed. "Although, I figured she would have closed the door first."

"It's official, I'm dead if I stay here any longer," Marco stood up and lifted his dress. "And I'd rather stay alive for _at least_ another day, so arrivederci!"

"W-Wait, don't make any hasty decisions!" Gemini spoke, stopping the boy on his tracks. "Sure, what happened is... unfortunate, but I'm sure that if you explain yourself, Mrs. Meteora will understand!"

"I saw her getting dressed! If it wasn't for the ladies in the room, I probably would've gotten a good look at her private parts, too! There's _nothing_ I can say to convince her to forgive me!" Marco snapped in return. "Besides, even if she is that understanding, how do I get the other two ladies with her to hear me out?!"

"Look, those ladies have names," Arms sternly stated. "They're Queen Moon, her co-worker, and Eclipsa, her mother."

Marco grimaced and covered his face with his hands. "That just guarantees I'm a dead man!"

And then the door was opened, with Moon coming out and looking around before she spotted the guy.

"You're the princess that wanted to talk to Meteora, right?" Moon asked. "She's available now, please come in."

Marco stood up, gulped down his fears, and walked into the room, the door closing just as Gemini and Arms exchanged a worried look.

 ** _Meanwhile, with Andrea and Brittney..._**

The cheerleaders separated and decided to check out the institution for themselves.

Andrea was sitting at a table with Minos, talking with her about... Something.

"And then, Sabrina took a peek up Brittney's skirt, by complete accident mind you, and she was so shocked, the pyramid fell apart!" Andrea told her sister, a wide smile across her face. "Ever since then, she's tried taking a peek whenever she can!"

"Well, I don't blame her," Minos shook her head. "If _my_ chief was above me and the chance was present, I'd catch a glimpse of her undergarments anytime!"

"Oh my gosh, shut-up!" Andrea gently jabbed her sister's shoulder. "What would Mom say if she heard you say that?!"

"I don't know about yours, but I know what _my_ Mom would say!" the minotaur princess scoffed.

The bovine humanoid then let out a cow's distinctive "moo" sound, causing both girls to break into a fit of laughter. However, said laughter stopped as soon as Andrea took a deep breath and leaned back, getting a good look at the Festivia pictured in the ceiling.

"Hey, is that the Festivia you mentioned sometimes?" Andrea inquired.

"Yeah, that's her," the minotaur leaned back, looked up, and put her arms behind her head. "Easily the best mother figure anybody could ever hope to have!"

Andrea frowned and leaned forward. "I don't wanna burst your bubble, but... Is she really that good?"

Her sister remained silent for a moment, then leaned forward and sighed, "To be honest, I wasn't alive during the time she was the headmistress, so I don't know."

The minotaur rubbed her arm. "She supposedly died a couple centuries before the current princesses you see here, and the only reason we know and like her that much is thanks to the current headmistress, Meteora."

Andrea raised an eyebrow. "Do you trust her? Do you even like her?"

"Of course I do, on both accounts!" the minotaur slammed her fist down the table. "She's the reason why none of us have turned into cheap women on the street, or criminals on the lam!"

Andrea frowned with worry, prompting her sister to hastily add: "Which is not to say I _would've_ turned into one of those if things had been different! The other princesses, though..."

The dark-skinned cheerleader lowered her head sadly, and her sister soon got an idea:

"Hey, wanna ride the minotaur?"

Andrea lifted her head and nodded with excitement.

As for Brittney, the girl looked around her surroundings while also trying to find a princess that looked friendly enough. She needed to ask where Meteora was, but she couldn't just ask _any_ princess, most of them were here for being brats, after all.

"Looking for something?"

Brittney turned around and spotted the source of the voice: Gwendolyn, who was resting on a couch with a sad look.

"I'm just looking for a princess that can tell me where's the headmistress, that's all," Brittney said, right before noticing Gwendolyn's mood. "What's wrong?"

"My sisters-in-arts, the mime and foolduke of Mewni, are doing well, but I'm kinda jealous that foolduke already got married, and I'm worried the mime might be next-" Gwendolyn suddenly stopped herself. "Wait, why am I telling you this? This is my problem, not yours."

Brittney sat next to the princess and stated, "I'm still interested in hearing you out."

Flattered, Gwendolyn smiled and took a deep breath before she started talking about her problems to the cheerleader...

 ** _Back with Meteora and Marco..._**

The hybrid headmistress spoke with her mother and Moon while Marco stood nearby, looking at the scene with confusion.

"I already told you, I'm gonna be fine," the headmistress stated. "We'll just talk about whatever he wanted to complain about."

"Meteora, guys like him can be dangerously smooth!" Eclipsa pointed out. "If you fall for his charms, there's no telling what will happen next!"

"You don't trust us to keep you safe?!" Moon added.

"That's rich, coming from you," Meteora rolled her eyes. "I mean, we're talking about a woman who's only real experience with males is a tiny guy that mostly served to keep her at bay when her girlfriend was around."

Moon flinched.

"And a divorced woman who's been frustrated, in more ways than one, ever since she drove off her own husband by acting like a racist prick!"

Eclipsa cringed.

"To top it all off, _neither_ of you verified the door was locked before you started undressing me, thus allowing the whole incident _you're_ blaming _him_ for!"

Moon and Eclipsa screamed and spun around for a moment, only to stop and collapse a few moments later. Meteora then whistled, and the robotic janitor of the building arrived.

"St. Olga, take these two out of here," Meteora ordered. "I'll be sure to call Manfred to come pick them up later."

The robot looked at Meteora with confusion, before she shrugged it off and dragged the queens out of the room. With that done, both Meteora and Marco sat down.

"So, I assume the thing you wanted to complain about was the prank, right?" Meteora asked.

"Yeah, that's it," Marco rested his head on his palm. "I mean, I don't mind the dress, I'm more upset at the fact I _had_ to wear it, at least that's what I thought until the girl at the entrance told me the truth."

"Sorry for playing that little prank on you," Meteora said with a little smile. "I hope you didn't get teased for it or something."

"Actually, I think the princesses find me _even more_ interesting with the dress," Marco blushed and looked away. "And besides, I've already accepted the fact that I just look way too dang good in a dress."

"Acceptance, huh?" Meteora tilted her head. "Is that something most humans practice?"

"Most of them, but not all of them," Marco shrugged. "I mostly learned it after my very firt crush, Jackie Lynn-Thomas, coldly rejected my feelings the first and only time I ever asked her out."

"Oh... I-I see..." the headmistress raised an eyebrow. "Wait, first _and only_ time? You never asked her out afterwards?"

"She explicitly told me "We should see some other people," which is apparently girl-language for "Don't ever ask me out again," or if it's between lovers, "What's between us is over, and I don't wanna see you again," Marco explained. "Although, that's what my friend Brittney said it meant, and she said it back when she was a "mean girl," so, I don't know how much true it is nowadays."

The headmistress lowered her head and frowned, feeling she could sympathize with the guy's explanation.

After all, swap Jackie for a certain septarian, and it would be Meteora's side of the story.

"But, anyway," Marco sighed, getting Meteora's attention. "I'm... Sorry I barged in while you were... You know..."

Meteora frowned. "You didn't like what you see?"

Marco flinched. "T-That's not what I said."

"So you _did_ like what you saw?" Meteora tilted her head.

A short pause later, Marco rubbed his forehead in frustration. "How am I supposed to answer that without angering you?!"

"Just... Be honest with me, okay?" Meteora blushed and twiddled her fingers. "I'm sure you didn't see much, but if you saw anything at all... Did you like it?"

Seeing the headmistress in a vulnerable state, Marco smiled in sympathy and answered:

"Meteora... I did like what I saw... You're beautiful."

The hybrid headmistress blushed and leaned back a little, only to look at the ceiling in melancholy afterwards.

"When I was just a nymph, everybody though I looked heinous. Even the kids would say stuff like "you're mewman, yet unmewman," "freak of nature," and even "only a monster would be able to like something like you."

"Well, I don't know what you think," Marco sighed. "But I'm willing to bet, if people bothered to look past your figure, then they'd definitely like you."

Marco leaned forward and put a hand on Meteora's shoulder. "I'm willing to bet anybody would like you, regardless of your looks."

Meteora frowned. "Even you?"

Marco flushed and looked elsewhere. "D-D-Don't you think you're getting a bit ahead of yourself?"

Meteora grabbed Marco's cheek, and forced him to face-to-face, interlocking eyes with him as she asked once more:

"Even. You?"

Feeling entranced be the headmistress' gaze, Marco put a hand on her cheek, and answered dreamily:

"Yes, Meteora. Even me."

The hybrid headmistress glanced at the hand, then turned back to Marco, locking eyes with him as they leaned closer and closer towards eachother...

Then, mere seconds before they realized what they were doing, the duo covered their mouths and backed away from each other, their faces looking completely red.

"S-So, u-um," Marco stammered as he stood up. "T-That's all I wanted to say, I-I'll be going now."

"Yeah, right, and I got-I got paperwork to do, too," Meteora stuttered as she got up as well.

The pair exchanged nods and separated, Meteora going back to her desk while Marco headed for the door.

"Hey... Marco, wasn't it?" Meteora asked, earning the boy's attention moments before he left. "I know it's probably too much to ask, but, could you come visit us again some other time?"

"Actually, tomorrow my parents and I need to check the mewmans to get our monthly supplies for our museum," Marco said. "If you're also one of the highest authorities in Mewni, then I guess we'll see each other then."

"Well, I'm the Queen of Clubs, so yeah, I'll see you then," The hybrid nodded with an excited smile. "See you tomorrow!"

The guy nodded, left the room... And as soon as he closed the door, he leaned against the wall and slid down until he hit the ground.

"I just, by complete accident, flirted with not only the _headmistress_ of an _all-female_ _ **institution**_ , but _one of the highest authority figures_ _ **in all of Mewni!**_ " Marco pulled his hair. "How many people are going to want my head on a silver platter for that?!"

"I think a lot of people are going to be jealous, but not to that extent."

Marco looked up, and saw it was none other than Brittney who spoke, before helping him get up as he asked, "Brittney? Where have you been?"

"I was busy talking with some princesses, and also betting with them while Andrea and her sister were playing around," Brittney remarked. "Now, if you're done with the headmistress, can I talk to her?"

The guy nodded and walked back to the carriage as Brittney went inside, closing the door just as she got Meteora's attention.

"Hello, headmistress. I-I'm Brittney Wong, a human from Earth, like Marco!" Brittney greeted. "Sorry to interrupt you, but I'm looking for Globgor's daughter!"

Meteora blinked twice. "Well, you're speaking to her right now."

Brittney raised an eyebrow. "Really? Where?"

Meteora pointed at herself, and it wasn't long before Brittney connected the dots.

"No way, it really is you!" the girl exclaimed, before bowing down. "S-Sorry for not recognizing you earlier, Your Majesty!"

"Nah, don't worry about it," Meteora waved her hand in a dismissive manner. "Anyway, it's nice to meet you, Brittney Wong. What do you need?"

Brittney sat down and took a deep breath before stating:

"I need you to help me gain access to Globgor's old house."

Meteora's eyes widened, then narrowed as she leaned forward and said:

"Tell me more."

 ** _A Couple Minutes Later..._**

Brittney walked back to the carriage, where she saw Marco and Andrea laughing, the latter having a bandage wrapped around her head.

"Hi guys," Brittney greeted, only to grow alarmed when she saw Andrea. "What happened?!"

"While riding the minotaur, my sister moved too fast and too strong, so when I lost my grip, she sent me flying to a wall," Andrea answered, waving her hand in a dismissive manner. "You know, the usual."

"And how did your visit to the headmistress go?" Marco asked. "Did you manage to convice her to help you?"

Brittney hesitated, then smiled nervously as she answered:

"Yes... And no."


	17. Business Trip

**Last chapter, Marco went to the reformatory school and flirted with Meteora, the headmistress, of all people. I'm sure other stuff happened, but that's probably all you can remember from last chapter anyway.**

 **Now, the Diazes are heading to Mewni in order to deal with some business stuff, and trust me, they're not excited for the trip.**

 ** _Especially_ Marco.**

 **Also, tell me what you think: Should I go with the update once one week, then twice next week schedule, or just update once a week?**

 **And now, let's answer some reviews:**

 **1) Nobody245: If you wanna get technical, Meteora is a Mewnster, half-Mewman and half-Monster, so she's Marco's best relationship with a Mewnster. Still, he'll hopefully get a good relationship with a Mewman soon, and one that he doesn't end up flirting with! XD**

 *** I didn't realize until too late that making two mortal enemies in canon into civil people here might be baffling, to say the least. And for that, I apologize.**

 **2) Mr. Scary Face:**

 *** This might get a little complicated, and spoilery:**

 **Meteora's age in the past, back when Celena was present as High Queen, she has the same age as in canon. Then, she suffers a temper tanthrum, goes Monster, and then Celena goes "gg no re" and turns her back into an infant.**

 **From there, an unknown amount of time passes from then to the present day, where she's an adult again. So, her total age in this AU is both her canon age plus an ambiguous age I may never specify to prevent hundreds of headaches.**

 **But yeah, Marco flirted with one of the oldest Queens of Mewni and got away with it. Let that sink in.**

 **Oh, and for the record, Queens of Mewni stop aging once they reach their adult phase, hence why Meteora managed to live so ridiculously long, and why they all look so young despite their advanced age.**

 **And now, to the chapter!**

* * *

The Diazes were getting ready to head to Mewni for a business trip, in order to replenish stock for their museum... Or was it a store? Eitherway, the atmosphere was fairly neutral as they prepared to head out.

Like last time, though, Marco wasn't exactly in a good mood.

"Yesterday, I lost my dignity," Marco sternly stated. "Today, I get the feeling I'll lose my cool."

"Marco, the dress looked fine on you, can you stop acting like you were publically humilliated?" Mrs. Diaz requested. "And besides, you're not the only one that's upset about this visit! You think I'm eager to see a Mewman face after what happened a few days ago!?"

Angie rolled her eyes and folded her arms. "If it was up to me, we would've cut ties with the mewmans right then and there, but sadly, we don't have anybody else who can provide us with artifacts to sell."

"Which reminds me, why are we "co-working" with the mewmans, again?" Marco pondered out loud. "I thought you and Dad got your artifacts just by exploring the city."

"Back when we were teenagers, such a deal would likely work out just fine," Rafael remarked. "But nowadays, it's _much_ rarer to find artifacts on the streets, so we need someone to provide them."

"Are you sure about that?!"

The family turned around and saw Jackie bolting down the staircase, looking extremely worried as she reached the ground and promptly ran to Angie.

"Do you really have to go?!" Jackie asked worriedly, clasping Mrs. Diaz's hands. "You'll be going to a place filled with mewmans! You could even encounter the mewman that killed Marco!"

"Huh, didn't think about that," Marco rolled his eyes. "Thanks for the sweet memories, Jackie."

"We've been dealing with the Butterfly family for generations, sweetie," Mrs. Diaz brushed Jackie's hair. "Don't worry, as long as we act nice and nothing goes wrong, the mewmans won't do anything to us."

The girl separated from the woman. "But Janna and Brittney won't be back home for a while! You can't just leave me here all alone!"

"Don't you have any friends you could go see?" Mr. Diaz asked.

Jackie scratched the back of her head. "I guess I could see how the cheerleaders are doing."

"Yeah, do that," Mrs. Diaz stated. "We gotta go now, see you later, sweetie."

Mrs. Diaz kissed Jackie's forehead, followed by Mr. Diaz doing the same and Marco kissing her cheek instead before the Diazes left, leaving Jackie to sit on the couch and sigh.

The Diazes got on their family van, and one quick use of a certain pair of scissors later, they found themselves at the entrance to Mewni Castle.

They headed inside, and were greeted by Eclipsa, Star, Moon, and Meteora standing on top of a staircase as the family walked closer towards the council.

"Greetings and welcome, Diaz family of Earth," Moon gretted, clasping her hands and bowing down. "It's a pleasure to work with you once again and-"

As Moon continued her speech, Marco and Angie turned to look at Star and Eclipsa, respectively, who took a moment to notice them.

Once they did, however, Star smiled in relief while Eclipsa flinched and backed away a little.

"I-I just remembered I need to... Uh... Help the spirits schedule Star's training!" Eclipsa stated, taking some more steps back as Mrs. Diaz uncovered one of her arms. "B-Be right back!"

However, when the Queen of the Void tried to escape, Angie put her hand on the ground and a large hand of darkness sprouted from Eclipsa's shadow, grabbing her and stopping her in place as Mrs. Diaz grabbed her arm.

"Where are you going, your majesty? We haven't introduced ourselves yet!" Angie growled. "Or is it that, perhaps, we have met before?"

Moon promptly separated the women. "Okay, whatever issues you two want to discuss, save it for later."

"Y-Yeah, this is a business meeting," Mr. Diaz spoke as he and Marco walked towards the queens. "We should try to stay calm, and handle this manner in a civilized way."

Marco silently went to Star, and glared at her in pure rage. Star, for her part, just smiled kindly.

"I'm glad to see you're okay," Star spoke. "Have you been doing better since we last met?"

Marco, still silent, punched Star and pinned her to the ground before he began beating her up, with his father and Moon trying to stop him before he rolled around, eventually dragging everybody into a big fight.

That is, until everybody heard a cough and stopped the fight, revealing River standing by the side.

"I think I need everyone to explain a couple things."

 _ **A little explanation later...**_

The Diazes, Queens and River rested at the lobby, drinking tea as the guy took a deep breath.

"Okay, so, let's recap," River said, rubbing his forehead. "Eclipsa and Star fought with the Diazes on Earth a couple days ago: Eclipsa and Star were seriously injured, while the son of the family was almost-kinda-sorta-actually killed?!"

"Yeah, but don't worry, I didn't remain by death's door for long," Marco put his arms behind his head. "A certain figure on Earth made sure I survived."

"And why did nobody tell me about this?!" River snapped.

"River, let's be honest with ourselves: Besides breeding and ruling the kingdom in Moon's absence, you're very much useless," Eclipsa explained. "Telling you about what happened wouldn't have changed anything."

"And it's not like you, as a queen, would think logically in the first place," Star scoffed, rolling her eyes. "After all, you just _have_ to be the perfect example of a Mewman, who has a stick up her own ass!"

"Star, shush," the Queen of the Void stated. "The adults are talking."

"The council is speaking with the Diazes, and in case you haven't noticed, I'm part of the council!" Star retorted. "I have as much right to talk as you do!"

Eclipsa narrowed her eyes. "I said, shush!"

"Sweetie, why don't you go talk with the Diaz's son outside?" Moon suggested, putting a hand on her daughter's shoulder as she scowled at Eclipsa. "After all, you should know by now that arguing with Eclipsa can only lead you to nowhere."

Star glanced at Marco, who put down his teacup and got up before he went ahead and left the room, with Star following outside.

Once at the hallway, Star made sure nobody else was around before she clenched her fists and ruffled her hair.

"Listen, I'm sorry for what I did, okay?!" Star snapped at the guy. "I already paid the 200 hundred dollars I owed you, what more do you want?!"

"You seriously think a mere bunch of cash can make me drop a topic such as _you_ _ **killing**_ _me_ under the rug?!" Marco growled, leaning closer. "Such a thing can't be easily handwaved or justified! But of course, what else am I supposed to expect from the ruler of a species of egotist insects!?"

Star felt her rage surge, but she quickly composed herself and said, shaking her fist, "Just, tell me if there's something else I can do, to put this tension between us at ease."

Marco leaned back and saved his hands in his pockets. "You mentioned you needed the horn to bring back a "Pony Head" friend of yours. Show me who this "Pony Head" is, and prove to me it was worth getting me to near death!"

"That might be a little hard, because my girlfriend "grounded" me from using it," Star replied, scratching the back of his head. "If you want to see Pony Head, you'll have to convince her to let me use the horn."

Marco cracked his knuckles and stated:

"Take me to your girlfriend."

 _ **Back with the "adults"...**_

Eclipsa had all eyes on her as she rested her head on her palm and looked around, sporting a look that practically screamed "When is this gonna be over!?."

"I'm _seriously_ thinking about looking for a different supplier, Rafael," Angie whispered to her husband, while keeping a close eye on Eclipsa. "I can't help but feel she could snap and attack us at any second."

"Aw, how cute, you think I can't hear you," Eclipsa sneered, getting the parents' attention.

"They also figured out your personality fairly quickly," River scoffed, taking a sip from his tea. "I can't tell if they're good judges of characters, or if you're just that easy to read."

"Silence, River, your opinion is irrelevant," Eclipsa sternly told the small king. "As for your idea, "Mrs. Diaz", don't even bother: Just like every other species that uses magic to a significant extent, you need us mewmans to stay in business!"

Mrs. Diaz stood up and slammed her fists down the table. "Only because you scare off every other potential supplier! Pixies, goblins, kappas, it doesn't matter who we go to, you drive them off!"

Eclipsa repeated Angie's motions. "Mewmans are a busy species! The fact those "suppliers" refuse to help you just as we arrive is entirely coincidental!"

"Okay, that's it," River stood up. "If you legitimately _need_ to get into this discussion, then please take it somewhere else."

"You can't boss me around!" Eclipsa snapped at the diminutive king. "You barely have enough power to rule Mewni in your wife's absence!"

"Mother, shut up, and go elsewhere with Mrs. Diaz," Meteora sternly stated.

Baffled, Eclipsa slapped herself. " _I'm_ your mother, and _you're_ my daughter! I'm the one supposed to order you around!"

"Well, until you start _acting_ like a mother, you'll be treated like the spoiled little brat you are," Moon scolded before pointing at the door. "Now, both of you, please leave the room before I kick you out myself!"

Eclipsa and Angie exchanged looks, and they avoided eye contact with each other as they walked to the door, and left the door, slamming it shut as the atmosphere returned to its once peaceful state.

"I'm sorry for my sweetheart's attitude," Rafael said as he scratched the back of his head. "She's... No offense, but she's not fond of mewmans."

"Eclipsa's pretty much the same, only with humans instead," River sighed as he took a sip of his tea. "Sometimes, I wonder if she would be a bit different if Celena had raised her properly."

"I highly doubt it," Meteora stated, rolling her eyes. "Celena and Eclipsa are a really bad case of "Like Mother, Like Daughter" stuff."

"Bottom line is, we're really, seriously, honestly sorry for Eclipsa's behavior," Moon stated, clasping her hands. "As my husband and Meteora said, Eclipsa was spoiled rotten by our former high queen so badly, she was left with the mental state of a spoiled brat. She can hide it for the most part, but when she lets it out, she lets it _all_ out."

"It's alright, one of the kids we raised was somewhat similar to that," Rafael took out his wallet, and from there he took out a picture of Marco, Janna, Jackie, and Brittney all posing together. "This is her, the one on the far right. Her name's Brittney."

"Oh my, what a beautiful young lady," Moon remarked. "She looks kinda shy, or quiet, though, did something happen to her?"

Rafael looked at the ground somberly. "A run-in with septarians."

Moon flinched and somberly looked elsewhere as Meteora asked, "Septarians? But they're usually uninterested in other species, what would they want from her?"

"Supposedly, their leader Toffee heard her say a certain name, one belonging to a person he has a bit of a beef with," Rafael explained, trying to avoid mentioning Marco's other name. "So they captured her and beat her up to try and get as much information as possible, until my son and I saved her."

Moon frowned. "Sorry for bringing back bad memories."

"Nah, it's okay, the past is in the past," Rafael said as he saved the picture on his wallet, then saved _that_ on his pocket. "Now, back with Eclipsa, how do you think we'll be able to get her and Angie back on good terms?"

Rafael sighed sadly. "Not that Angie was exactly fond of her to begin with."

"A mewman with a deep hatred of humans, and a human with a deep hatred of mewmans..." River folded his arms and shook his head. "To me, the best course of action would be to keep them _away_ from each other, and let them do their duties for now."

"And we may need to keep them separated for a while," Meteora added. "What Mom did isn't something one can forget easily."

Moon nodded in agreement. "It's our best option right now."

Rafael then realized something. "Wait, didn't you tell those two to wait in a room nearby?"

The subsequent groans from Eclipsa and Mrs. Diaz, alongside the sounds of stuff being destroyed, confirmed his suspicions. So the royals and the man ran to the women's room and barged in to find Angie and Eclipsa strangling each other while floating in mid-air.

And then River grabbed a nearby statue and flung it at the women, causing them to separate and collapse on the ground upon impact.

"What the underworld's going on here?!" exclaimed River as Moon and Rafael ran to and held Eclipsa and Angie respectively.

"This _maginuch_ acts too demanding from someone of her social class, specially one talking to a superior person like me!" Eclipsa snapped, trying to free herself from Moon's grasp. "She _needs_ us! She should be more respectful!"

"And this _lady-_ _ **bug**_ refuses to go one second without insulting me, my family, or my species, whether she's provoked or not!" Angie retorted, trying to free herself from her husband's hold. "She already attacked me once, and I'm not gonna let her do it again, verbally or not!"

Eclipsa gritted her teeth. "Orphan!"

Angie narrowed her eyes. "Divorced!"

Moon reached inside her dress and took out and blew a crystal-shaped whistle, stopping the women's struggle as they were both released, only to fall to the ground and cover their ears to try block the noise.

"That's it, we need to separate them right now," Moon sternly stated. "Meteora, help me take Eclipsa to her cooldown room. Mr. Diaz, take your wife back to the room for some tea."

The duo nodded, and everybody worked to separate the aggressive women.

 _ **Back with Star and Marco...**_

The duo went into Hekapoo's room, and found the woman resting in the middle of the room... Surrounded by lava streams.

"Hekapoo?" Star blurted, getting the girl's attention. "I need you to help me revive Pony Head: The guy right here, the one I killed, wants to see if she was worth bringing back or not."

Hekapoo stood up, reached for her back, and took out the horn while Star opened a portal and took out Pony Head's... Head, which sported a broken horn and blank eyes.

Not one to waste time, Star connected the horn, and the head levitated upwards before it was surrounded by a white energy, giving the eyes star-shaped pupils and bringing it back to life.

"Whoa, that's a headache I'll feel tomorrow," said the sentient, flying, magical pony head before she spotted Star. "Oh hey, B-Fly, what's up?"

"Pony Head!" Star hugged the flying head. "I'm so happy you're back! I mean, I would've preferred something better or more spectacular, but let's be positive!"

"Hehe, still a hug lover, I see," Pony Head noticed Marco walking away. "And who's the guy leaving?"

Star turned around to spot Marco turning to her, and shouting:

"I can't believe I had to die for that _thing_ to come back!"

The guy slammed the door shut, and Star turned back to Pony Head, who narrowed her eyes:

"He died so I could be brought back? What's he talking about, Star?"

The Queen looked elsewhere, then took a deep breath.

"Okay, so, this is what happened..."

 _ **Meanwhile, back with Meteora...**_

The hybrid queen sat on her desk, trying to relax after putting her mother on her cooldown room, only for a robot pigeon to enter the room and stare at the queen before ringing.

"Why did Festivia bother to invent these things when a cellphone or really anything would've worked better?" Meteora pressed the pigeon's head. "Hello?"

"Hi, sweetie!" a familiar voice spoke from the other end.

"Daddy!" Meteora chirped, her eyes lighting up. "I didn't expect you would call me right now! And certainly not on a pigeon!"

"Is there something wrong with that?" Globgor asked.

"It's admittedly weird to talk to you right now, if only because I have to talk to a robot pigeon in the process," Meteora giggled. "Anyway, how's it going, daddy?"

"It's going great, my magical sweetie," Globgor answered, switching his tone to a more serious one as he added, "Anyway, are you alone and available? I need to discuss the plan to regain entrance to my former domain."

"Yeah, I'm alone. Are we talking about the one where the Brittney girl can finally get rid of her fragment piece, right?" Meteora pondered out loud. "Because if so, I think we should ask Brittney's opinion first."

"I'm here, Meteora," Brittney spoke from the pigeon as well. "I decided to stop here to talk about the plan before heading off to visit Lekmet."

Meteora opened her mouth, and Brittney hastily added "Long story," causing the hybrid to switch topics: "Well, if she's here, then we're all ears, Dad."

Globgor smiled with confidence. "Excellent, now, this is what we'll do..."

 _ **Back with Star, Hekapoo, and Pony Head...**_

"And that's what happened," Star finished. "I did what I had to do, Pony Head; Although, I wish I could've thought things through a little more."

"Well dang, girl, I knew I meant a lot to you, but I didn't think I meant _that_ much," Pony Head turned to the door. "How long has it been since the guy was revived, though?"

"A day or two, I think," Star shook her head. "And what I did is still fresh in his mind, like everybody else."

"Which means he would have a lot to tell you and vent about..." Pony Head got an idea. "Okay, B-Fly, I think I know how to get the dude to chill out!"

The head flew to Hekapoo's side. "But it's so crazy, I'll tell Hekapoo first so _she_ can tell you the plan!"

Star raised an eyebrow. "But I'll know _you_ were the one who came up with the idea."

" _But_ if it comes out of the mouth of someone much saner, it'll be a lot easier to swallow," Pony Head explained. "Anyway, Hekapoo, here's the plan..."

Pony Head whispered the plan to Hekapoo, and once the shock of it wore off, Hekapoo whispered it to Star, who exclaimed:

"Are you crazy!?"

"Listen, I know it sounds crazy, but I assure you it can work!" the flying head smiled. "Just challenge him to it, and do nothing. Let him vent his frustrations against you, and once he's let it all out, calm him down."

Star turned to Hekapoo, who shrugged, "It's the only option you have right now.

And so, with surging determination, Star stood up and walked her way back to the main hall, where the rest of the council and the Diazes were at.

"Oh, Star, we were wondering where you were," Moon said as the Queen of Hearts started taking off her glove. "The Diazes were just about to-"

After fully taking off her glove, Star threw it at Marco, hitting him right in the face as she shouted:

"I challenge you to a magic duel!"

The whole place fell silent... Until Marco chuckled and slapped his knee, Star maintaining her stern glare all the while.

"Are you for real? We already fought once, and the only reason you won was because you decided to leave me half-dead!" Marco snapped at the Queen of Hearts. "Besides, I'm just a normal human! I don't have any magical powers I can use!"

Marco grabbed the glove and stared at it as he asked, "What do you hope to accomplish with this challenge?"

"I want things to be set between us, and I want this to be fair," Star said as she reached for her back. "So, no transformations, no instant kill spells..."

The Queen took out a wand and threw it at Marco, who effortlessly catched it as Star finished:

"And we'll _both_ be able to use magic."

"So, this is supposed to be a wand?" Marco asked as he scanned the object. "I'm going to be honest; I did think you would things the old-school way, but I didn't think you'd go as far as to use this."

Marco shrugged. "But oh well, if it can make things more "even" between us, then I guess I can't complain."

Star raised an eyebrow. "So you accept the challenge?"

Marco threw a confident look at Star, then stated, flashing a smug grin:

"I'm in."

 _ **Lucitor Kingdom...**_

A carriage walked through a portal that materialized from the ground, and inside this carriage was Mr. Candle, who was reading a book, and Janna, who took a look at her surroundings with sheer joy.

"I never thought I would get to see the underworld! Not while I was alive, anyway!" Janna chirped. "So, how did you get here? How did you find it? What did you do here? Where's your master?"

"Janna, your questions will be answered eventually, but first we need to reach the master's house," Mr. Candle sternly stated before pulling Janna back to her seat. "So, please, sit down and wait patiently until we arrived."

"But the underworld is one of the places I've wanted to visit the most!" Janna chirped. "I wanna see everything this place has to offer!"

"You will, as a _prisoner_ and not a _tourist_ , if you make a wrong move," the man stated. "So again, calm down. We'll be there soon."

The carriage soon stopped in front of the Lucitor castle, and Candle and Janna went inside and walked upstairs until they encountered Mr. Candle's old master:

King Tom Lucitor, sitting on his throne.

"It's been a long time, Candle," Tom stated as he stood up. "What brings you to my kingdom once more?"

Janna squealed in delight before running up to the demon king, causing him to lean back a bit.

"You're Tom Lucitor, the king of the underworld!" Janna shook hands with the demonic monarch. "It's such an honor to meet you in person! I've heard every horror and ghost story about you, and I've been researching stuff related to your kingdom for years!"

Tom yanked his arm free of the girl's grasp, glaring at her as she giggled. "I'm assuming this is the "Janna" you mentioned? The girl with the demon fetish?"

"I don't have a demon fetish!" Janna snapped. "I just really like demon characters, demonic traits, stuff related to the occult in general, and I find said demonic traits surprisingly appea-aw shit, I hace a demon fetish."

"Yeah, this is Janna," Mr. Candle stated. "She lost ownership of her grimoire a while ago, and I was wondering if you could teach her how to use fire magic."

Tom narrowed his eyes and looked at Janna. "You may need to pay a terrible price in order to cast that magic."

Janna shrugged. "I'm willing to go through it."

"I'll remind you of this price through the training, if you do agree with it," Tom shook his head. "And the training is intense. Most people who try to learn fire magic quit midway because it becomes too much for them."

"Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but I'm not like most people," Janna smirked. "I will do _anything_ and _everything_ as long as I get to use fire magic. I mean it."

Tom rolled his eyes. "I guess I could give you a lesson or two. I'll tell you what the terrible price is later."

Janna grinned in delight, and hugged the king without warning. However, rather than freak out, Tom took a deep breath and calmly pushed Janna back.

"Save your enthusiasm for when you're done training," Tom scratched his chin. "So, when would you like to start?"

Janna narrowed her eyes in determination.

"Right here, right now."


	18. Magic Duel

**I legitimately don't know what to say here, simply because so much stuff happens in this chapter. So much so, I was actually wondering what parts I'd have to cut so it wasn't too big, if any!**

 **Also, this is this week's only update. No updates on Friday.**

 **But, let's not waste any time, and answer some reviews:**

 **1) Guest: Well, dang it.**

 **2) Nobody245: Set up! Set up everywhere!**

 *** Let's just say you gotta see it to believe it.**

 *** Even if she _wanted_ to leave, somebody would need to replace her. And even if that wasn't a problem, let's just say a certain rose-haired Great Magical One made sure that Meteora was stuck on the job, no ifs or buts.**

 *** Janna and Tom... Honestly, I prefer to believe that their relationship is more akin to "Legendary person and random overly enthusiastic fan of said legendary person" rather than potential lovers. Mostly because I want to try write Tom as a counterpart to Star: He's more romantically interested in boys.**

 **And now, to the chapter.**

* * *

At the training field, Jackie sat on a bench, resting her head on her palm as she watched the cheerleaders practicing their routines, with the exception of an absent Brittney.

However, the girl's attention was caught when a pair of familiar faces showed up: Alfonzo and Ferguson.

"Oh hey, guys," Jackie greeted. "What are you doing here?"

"Sabrina and Chantelle opened the book and left it somewhere else so we could have some fresh air," Ferguson answered, before looking at the cheerleaders. "And we also get a nice look at our cheerful girls!"

Ferguson whistled, and Sabrina giggled before returning to the routine, while Jackie just sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Is something wrong?" Alfonzo inquired as he flew to Jackie's side. "You look a bit sadder than usual."

"I'm just worried for Marco," the skater rubbed her forehead. "He's with his parents on a business trip to Mewni, and I'm certain being around so many mewmans must make him uncomfortable."

"Why didn't you go with them, then?" Ferguson inquired.

"It's a business trip between the Diazes and the royal family of Mewni only," Jackie sighed. "Just because they treat me like a daughter doesn't mean I'm actually their daughter."

Jackie stood up. "And besides, I just have this nagging feeling that Marco might end up doing something really stupid, probably related to love or something like that."

Ferguson tilted his head. "Because of the fact you coldly rejected his love before?"

Alfonzo covered Ferguson's mouth a little too late, as Jackie slowly turned to the boys, covered her arm in ice I. the shape of a hammer and got ready to pummel them before she heard someone shout:

"Stop!"

Jackie stopped mere moments before smashing the boys, and as soon as she turned around, she saw the source of the shout were none other than Sabrina and Chantelle, who were standing at a close, yet safe distance from Jackie.

"Listen, whatever Ferguson said, I'm sure he's sorry for saying it!" Sabrina said. "You know how he sometimes says things without thinking!"

"Yeah, and besides, they're more like spirits right nyow!" Chantelle added. "Hitting them won't do anything, if you even hit them in the first place!"

Jackie turned back to the boys. "That sounds more like an excuse for me to smash them as hard as I want!"

Sabrina narrowed her eyes. "And what would Marco think about how you're acting right now!?"

Jackie snapped back at the cheerleaders, then back at the boys, before she sighed and turned her arms back to normal.

"I'm sorry," the tomboy sternly stated. "I haven't been able to control my emotions lately. As soon as I get angry, I just... Go all out."

"Well, how about we fix that?" Sabrina walked to Jackie's side and put a hand on her shoulder. "Listen, the cheerleaders are gonna go eat somewhere for their break, would you like to come with us?"

Jackie raised an eyebrow. "You don't mind?"

"Don't try to hurt our boyfriends and we'll be cool with you," Chantelle went to Jackie's other side and grabbed her arm. "Now come, we're already leaving and last one's a dead fish on a bucket!"

The off sentence, besides making Jackie question where the heck it came from, made her realize something:

"The Scum Bucket! I'm late for my shift!"

Jackie freed herself from the cheerleaders' grasp, took out her skateboard from her back, and rolled down towards the pier as she exclaimed:

"Sorry girls, another time maybe! If Brittney returns while you're there, tell her I said hi!"

And as soon as she was out of sight, Alfonzo asked:

"Come to think of it, where _is_ Brittney?"

 _ **Another Dimension...**_

A portal opened and from it came out two figures: Lekmet, and Brittney, the latter having her eyes closed until the former bleated, signaling her to open them.

As soon as she opened her eyes, Brittney was amazed at the location: It was filled with vast plains filled with healthy grass, with several small goats, all looking similar to Lekmet, either jumping around or eating the grass.

But what caught Brittney's eyes the most was the dark sky filled with an ocean of stars, and a white moon overlooking the whole dimension.

"Lekmet, this place is beautiful!" Brittney said as she separated from the chairman and walked to one of the goats. "And these little things are adorable too! Are they your children or something?"

Lekmet almost blurted, or more accurately bleated, something out before Rhombulus jumped through the portal and crash-landed right next to the goat-like creature.

"Sorry I was late!" the crystal-headed jailer exclaimed. "Did you begin the training yet?!"

Lekmet shook his head, and Brittney raised an eyebrow, "Who are you?"

"I'm Rhombulus, living, walking alcatraz, and Lekmet's personal translator!" Rhombulus boasted, pulling a couple poses before he said, "I'm here to help Lekmet teach you how to use life magic!"

And of course, Brittney noticed his wardrobe. "And what's up with the shirt?"

"The council of queens forced me to wear this, because of a reason only they themselves can fathom," Rhombulus folded his arms. "But enough talk, let's get this training on the road!"

A couple seconds later, Brittney sat on the ground alongside the pair of entities, with the smaller goat creatures jumping around them.

Lekmet bleated, and Rhombulus translated:

"Okay, Brittney, to use life magic, you must form some kind of connection with the living thing whose lifeforce you want to manipulate: Grab one of the smaller Not-Lekmets and pet him a little, see if he likes you."

Brittney obliged, and after petting the Not-Lekmet, the creature tackled her and pinned her to the ground, where it started licking her cheeks.

Lekmet bleated, clasping his... Hooves as Rhombulus spoke:

"Looks like they really like you, that's good! That makes our job easier!"

"Why's that?" Brittney asked as she got back up.

"Well, how do I say this? Life magic is something that can be affected both ways," Rhombulus sighed. "Unlike destruction magic, Lekmet's other specialty, which only requires the will of the user, life magic needs the will of both the user _and_ the intended target."

Brittney frowned as Rhombulus continued: "If either you or the target doesn't want to be healed, then the magic won't work at best, or at worst, it'll only work for a couple seconds before it worsens the injury."

Lekmet put a hand on Brittney and bleated, prompting a translation:

"Lekmet says that he believes that you'll be able to use that magic. After all, he wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you."

Brittney blushed and looked elsewhere. "It was a team effort, really, but thanks."

"Now, to the main event!" Rhombulus narrowed his eye. "First, think, and desire with your most honest belief, that you want to heal someone, and channel all of that into a ball of energy."

Brittney lowered her head. "I don't know, I've never attempted to use magic before, and I don't even have a fully functional artifact to channel it to."

"It's okay, channeling magic is fairly easy: It's all a matter of having the right state of mind and the desire to do it," Rhombulus waved his snake-hand in a dismissive manner. "Keeping it in control's the issue, but that's besides the point. Come on, give it a shot already!"

Brittney looked at her palms, with her doubt on herself growing until a familiar voice said:

" _You can do it._ "

Brittney looked at her surroundings for the source of the voice, and so did Lekmet and Rhombulus after a while.

Eventually, they spotted the source: A ghostly apparition with the shape of a really tiny Mewman with bush-like hair reaching her feet, but without a mouth, and glowing eyes, the latter sporting a spade-shaped pupil.

" _I believe in you._ "

The apparition vanished, and with her confidence no overtaking her doubt, Brittney put her palms together, closed her eyes, and tried channeling the magic while Lekmet and Rhombulus pondered what the heck they just saw.

However, their attention was caught when a small sphere of white energy briefly materialized in Brittney's palms, only to dissipate and stutter.

"That's it, kid, you're doing it!" Rhombulus said. "Just focus a bit more!"

Brittney obliged, with the sphere stabilizing and growing in size as the girl channeled some more energy.

And as soon as she opened her eyes, the girl saw she held a moderately-sized sphere, and, without noticing herself, she had faint cup-shaped cheekmarks, while Lekmet and Rhombulus hugged eachother and jumped up and down in joy.

"She did it! She really did it!" Rhombulus chirped. "And here I was, thinking she would take a decade to learn how to do it!"

Brittney smiled in a bemused manner, only for the sphere to be surrounded by electricity as the girl found it was getting harder and harder to hold.

"Uh, guys," Brittney said, her cheekmarks starting to vanish. "A little help here!"

Lekmet and Rhombulus stopped jumping, and Lekmet bleated a word of advice that Rhombulus translated as:

"Throw it away, girl!"

Brittney started losing her balance, but she managed to lift and throw the sphere far away before it became pure white, then exploded into a lot of confetti that, once it hit the ground, it didn't just heal the grass, but it made it grow some flowers. And some Not-Lekmets ate said flowers as Lekmet and Rhombulus went to Brittney's side.

"Huh, well, I did say controlling the magic was the hardest part," Rhombulus remarked, only to gently brush Brittney's hair as he chirped, "But still, that was amazing! You got a lot of promise, kid!"

Lekmet bleated, and Rhombulus, of course, translated: "Lekmet says that if you practice some more, then he's sure you'll success fully control the magic."

Brittney turned to the goat creature and clasped her hand. "You really believe it?"

Lekmet nodded, bringing a smile to the cheerleader's face.

"Now come on, Lekmet!" Rhombulus grabbed and lifted the goat creature. "We gotta go tell Hekapoo and Omnitraxus the good news!"

Then the living crystal turned to the cheerleader. "Be a nice girl and wait here, okay? We'll be back soon."

Brittney nodded and waved goodbye as the duo jumped through the portal, and as soon as they were gone, Brittney put her palms together and opened them as she created another, much smaller sphere of life magic.

And as she looked at the sphere of magic that proved her achievement, Brittney thought:

" _If only Janna could see me right now..._ "

 _ **Meanwhile, at Lucitor Castle...**_

Janna cheerfully ran all over the place as Tom and Mr. Candle followed behind, the former looking sternly with his arms crossed, and the latter sporting a worried look.

"I can't believe I'm walking inside the castle of the king of the underworld!" Janna chirped, trying her hardest not to lose control. "And I'm going to train under the king's tutelage!"

"My patience isn't infinite, you know, kid?" Tom sternly stated as he reached Janna and grabbed her shoulder. "You said you wanted to train right now, so let's head to the training arena now."

The trio walked deeper into the castle until they arrived at a medium-sized arena, with many bodybags laying around, as well as other sorts of equipment.

"Cool!" Janna scanned the area. "So, what's first? Shooting fireballs? Fire breath?"

Tom rolled his eyes. "None of those things."

Janna was confused. "Huh?"

"You need to be able to materialize fire before you can use any techniques," Mr. Candle explained. "Until then, you'll need to use a weapon to channel that energy."

Tom clapped twice, and a pillar sprouted from the ground, with a red sword standing on top of it, sporting a blade with... Heart-like patterns?

And before Janna moved, Tom stopped her. "What are you doing?"

"I'm gonna grab the sword to start training, duh," Janna said.

"Wait for just one second, okay!?" Tom pointed at the sword. "If you grab that thing right now, it'll corrupt you into some kind of demonic creature, or worse, it'll shatter your very mind, driving you insane!"

Janna's eyes diluted. "Now I wanna touch it even more!"

"I feared that would be the case," Tom said as he reached for his back with one arm, and stopped Janna on her tracks with the other. "First, you must gain the ability to use fire magic, which can be done if you sign a contract and train until you get a connection with the element itself, which should only take 5 or 10 years, at best."

Janna snapped back at the demon king. "5 or 10 years?!"

"At best." Tom repeated.

"Listen, I don't want to disrespect you, but I need to learn how to use fire magic now!" Janna stated as the demon king took out a cup from his back. "Isn't there another, preferrably faster way to do this?"

"The only other way to gain the ability to use fire magic," Tom handed the cup to Janna. "Is to drink the fire of someone who can already control that kind of magic."

Janna eyed the cup, which was filled with a red liquid, then looked back at Tom.

"The cup is filled with my blood, recently taken out of my body," Tom explained as Janna narrowed her eyes in determination. "You don't have to drink it all in one go-"

And then Janna did exactly that: She drank all the blood on the cup, then covered her mouth so as to not waste a single drop.

"And she did it anyway," Tom said as Mr. Candle ran to the girl's side.

"Janna, are you okay?!" Mr. Candle exclaimed as he helped the girl keep her balance. "You didn't have to drink it all at once!"

"I said I needed to train right here, right now. I figured that as soon as I drank the blood, the training would begin," Janna said as Mr. Candle slowly released her. "And besides, I don't feel any different."

"The blood takes a while to take effect, at least physically," Tom walked to Janna and put a hand on her shoulder. "Now, go to the pillar and grab the sword. It shouldn't do anything to you now."

Janna nodded, and took a deep breath as she walked towards the pillar, with the atmosphere growing ominous around her as she reached for the sword, grabbed it, and lifted it...

And nothing happened.

"Yup, the sword accepts you as it's master," Tom remarked, folding his arms. "I assume you want to start training now?"

Janna eyed the blade of the sword, and with a confident smile she stated:

"Hell yeah."

 _ **Back at Mewni...**_

The rest of the queens and the Diaz parents sat at the stands near the arena where Star and Marco were about to fight once more, with Moon looking the most worried out of everyone.

"Oh, I didn't think she would do something like this!" Moon said, grabbing and ruffling her hair. "We need to put a stop to this right now!"

"You seriously lack that much fate in your own daughter, Moon?" Eclipsa scolded sternly. "I mean, the guy's just a maginuch, and she already brought him to near-death, or actual death, or whatever, once! You think she can't do that again?"

"Mom, I think Star being able to do it again is _precisely_ why Moon's worried," Meteora pointed out, getting her mother's attention. "I mean, it was bad enough that she killed a merchant, knowing she killed one of the Diazes only makes it even worse!"

Eclipsa glanced at Marco's parents, who looked back at her; Rafael waving hello awkward while Angie did the "I'm watching you" gesture. Seeing that, Eclipsa turned to Star and exclaimed:

"Hold back a little, Star! Kick his ass, but don't send him straight to the morgue!"

Star rolled her eyes at the Eclipsa's "encouragement". And simply stretched a bit as Marco folded his arms and tapped his elbow.

"You know, since we're in your kingdom, I think it's only fair that you go first," Marco remarked. "So go ahead, throw the first attack-"

"That won't be necessary," Star bluntly stated.

Marco narrowed his eyes. "Excuse me?"

"I'm not going to attack you." Star bluntly stated. "I just want you to hit me with everything you got."

"Hmph, what kind of mewman that challenges someone to a duel, yet doesn't partake in any fighting?" Marco scoffed, shaking his head. "To think at least one fourth of the population have faith in you, I feel sorry for them; They're following a coward!"

"I face verbal abuse and ridicule every day from all sorts of people: The legions, the populace, even my fellow queens!" Star snapped, giving the guy the pointer finger. "Insulting me won't work, so use the wand I gave you already!"

Marco narrowed his eyes, and raised his wand before proclaiming:

"Shadow Ocean Waves!"

A set of dark purple ocea waves were created from thin air, and they headed straight for Star as the guy got ready to throw another spell.

Star just raised her foot and stomped the ground forward, splitting the waves into two and making them collapse into water, with one wave splashing the parents and queens.

"Prison Squared!"

Marco conjured up a square-shapped cell where both he and Star were trapped as he yelled:

"Bouncing Split Balloons!"

Marco summoned a dark purple ball, which split into two after bouncing once and Marco stating:

"Reflection!"

The guy was covered in a shield that reflected the balls away, which continued to split into two as they started pounding on Star, who could barely dodge the incoming balls.

And once said balloons covered the whole "prison," it exploded, sending the balloons flying until Marco shouted:

"Reverto Maxima!"

This spell undid the balloons, Marco's sheild, and the splashed stands, while Star stood up and caught her breath, now sporting a black eye and several bruises.

"You know, when you said you weren't going to attack, I thought you were just screwing with me, and to an extent, I still think that's the case," Marco stated, periodically slapping his wrist with the wand. "But just because you won't attack doesn't mean you can't counter, you know? You have to do _something_ , for crying out loud! Otherwise this isn't even a fight, It's just a beating!"

Marco then glanced at the stands and saw that a certain someone was missing. So he turned to Star and asked:

"Where's Pony Head?"

Star finished catching her breath and bluntly answered:

"Visiting an old friend."

 _ **At the Dungeons...**_

Pony Head flew across the dungeons, taking a look around the cells for Mina as she said to herself:

"Geez, I'm out of action for a couple of minutes, and next thing I know, Mina gets herself locked up with the rest of the scum in here."

Pony Head stopped and turned to a cell. "No offense!"

The monster inside the cell, a pair of adult kappas, waved their hands and said "None taken!"

Pony Head continued her search, and eventually found Mina sitting in the very last cell, surrounded by electrified bars.

"Mina!" Pony Head exclaimed as she flew straight to the cell. "It's so good to see you-"

"Pony Head, stop!" Mina shouted, stopping the pony head just in time before she clashed with the bars. "These bars are electrified with some kind of magic-absorbing stuff! If you hit them, they'll drain the magic that's keeping you alive!"

Pony Head tilted her...Self? "And how can you touch them like nothing?"

Realizing she was holding the bars, the warrioress released them and rubbed her arm. "I... Don't have any magic they can take away from me."

Pony Head frowned. "What? But, how-"

"Halt!"

The girls turned around to see Higgs, Kelly, and Tad arriving at the scene, only to stop when they saw Pony Head.

"Wait, I know who that is! She's Queen Star's pony head servant that died in the Butterfly-Lucitor wedding fiasco!" Higgs aimed her weapon at the pony head. "How are you still alive?!"

"How else, you doofus? Star revived me," Pony Head rolled her eyes. "She took some questionable methods to do it, but she still did it."

"Well, what do we do now?" Tad asked as Higgs checked her clock. "If we fight the pony head and something happens to her, Queen Star is gonna be furious, but we can't let her free Mina!"

"She's not going to free me, dumbasses, we're just gonna talk," Mina corrected. "I mean what, can't a pair of old friends catch up with each other?"

"Well, whatever you're gonna do, count me out on it," Higgs stated, sheathing her weapon before showing Kelly her clock. "I need to go polish Sir Stabby's sword and all other stuff squires do. Good luck dealing with them."

"Wait, you're gonna leave _us_ the job to fight them?!" Kelly panicked.

Higgs brushed the girl's hair, avoiding Tad in the process. "It's just a flying pony head, even a nerd like you should be able to take care of her."

"Wow, Higgs, thanks for the encouraging words," Tad said with a deadpan tone. "It's just what we needed to keep our motivation intact."

Higgs brushed Tad's head. "I'm glad we're both on the same page. Anyway, bye."

The redhead left, leaving Kelly and Tad with the flying head.

"So, your friend seems to be..." Pony Head hesitated. "Interesting."

"She's a bitch," Tad stated.

"Tad, don't say that!" Kelly scolded. "Call her by what she really is: A megabitch."

"Then why do you hang out with that jackass in the first place?" Mina asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's not by choice: We're from the Clubs legion, and she's from the Spades legion," Kelly explained sadly. "Since our legions are counterparts, we're supposed to work together, or at the very least, have a partner from our counterpart legion."

"And we just so happened to be given the most obnoxious, insufferable, intolerable jerk in the Spades legion," Tad growled, folding his arms. "Sometimes I wonder if we were placed together just so nobody would have to deal with her."

Kelly rubbed her forehead. "You can say that again."

"So, what do we do now?" Pony Head asked, getting the bush-headed soldiers' attention. "Do we fight ir what?"

"We'll let you talk for now," Kelly and Tad aimed their weapons at the duo. "But don't do anything funny!"

Mina rolled her eyes. "Looks like I got a lot to catch up on."

Pony Head chuckled. "You and me both, girl!"

Pony Head smiled, and Mina returned the smile as the sentient flying equine head began explaining.

 _ **Back with Star and Marco...**_

Marco caught his breath as Star's spot was covered in a large dust cloud, with the queens and his parents looking horrified as the dust cloud dispersed... And Star was revealed to be just fine.

"I guess... I should've seen this coming," Marco chuckled. "Mewmans only get weaker when they use magic; Without it, they're so hard to kill it's not even worth it."

Marco stood up. "I'm spent. I got no energy to cast a single spell left."

Marco broke the wand in two and shrugged. "Go on and finish me off. You can stop pulling that "I'm not going to attack you" nonsense and just beat me with a single punch or something-"

"I'm not going to attack you," Star sternly interjected. "I said that from the very beginning, and I plan to keep it that way until the very end."

Realizing the Queen of Hearts legitimately wasn't going to attack him, Marco gritted his teeth as his hands were covered in a black color, and his eye slowly turned yellow, before he snapped:

"Why?!"

Marco created a pair of dark fireballs from the broken wand and shot them at Star, who simply dodged them.

"Why are you taking the beating?!"

Marco then formed a scythe out of his shadow and swung it, sending shockwaves towards Star. Instead of dodging, Star just stopped for a moment, allowing the shockwaves to miss her before she continued walking.

"Why won't you _attack_!?"

Marco's shadow turned back to normal as he raised his arms, and channeled whatever energy he had left in a large sphere.

"Why?! _Aren't you!?_ _**Fighting back?!**_ "

Marco screamed as he threw the sphere at Star, who sprinted forward and took off one of her gloves. With the uncovered hand, Star's single touch slowly made the sphere dissipate into nothing, allowing her to leap straight to a shocked Marco...

...And hug him.

"Because I don't want to hurt you."

Marco shivered, legitimately confused as to what was going on. "W-What are you doing? S-Stop screwing with me!"

"You are angry, and I understand why," Star spoke as she pressed her cheek against Marco's. "What I did to you can never be forgiven. But hurting you won't solve anything, so... I won't do it."

Marco pushed Star away. "The hell is wrong with you!? _You_ challenged me to a duel! What's the point of dueling if only one of us is going to try to kill the other!?"

Angie covered her mouth and Rafael gasped, "Marco!"

"Oh, don't even bother acting surprised! As soon as we came here," Marco pointed at Star. "It should've been obvious that I would've wanted the one who killed me _dead_!"

Then, the boy turned to the other Queens. "Specially if her fellow queens were present, to see what would somebody do, and think, after they just came back from the dead!"

Finally, the boy turned back at Star, who still remained serene.

"You **killed** me, you understand, you _humanoid insect!?_ " Marco yelled at the top of his lungs, holding back tears. "You brought me _this_ damn close to heaven's gate, and it was only thanks to Globgor himself, that I'm still alive, and pissed off at the mere fact you continue living like nothing happened!"

Marco started shedding tears. "I didn't even treat you badly at first! I annoyed you, yes, but I was only joking! I didn't want things to get as heated as they did!"

Star frowned, and what the guy said next struck right where it hurt:

"And the only reason, literally the _only_ reason I can think of, that you could use as a pathetic excuse to justify what you did, is because I didn't let you take the _damn horn_ for free, just to bring back someone _that wasn't worth reviving in the first place!_ "

Star clutched the heart in her dress, her arms shivering as she tried to hold back both her surging anger, and her tears. The shivering got to the point that her uncovered arm started glowing, which the boy quickly noticed.

"Come on, do it! Use your freaky decay magic and decay me into a corpse, or something!" Marco scoffed, his voice too weak to be raised any higher. "Maybe you'll act like proper mewman and _rejoice_ over your victory later! Rejoice over the fact you're just a murderer behind your fancy, royal façade!"

Star's arm shivered some more, then she raised it, both the guy's parents and the queens silently begging her not to go through with it, while Marco just closed his eye, accepting his fate...

...And then, Star covered her arm with her glove, slapped Marco hard enough to leave a handprint and stated, as bluntly as possible:

"Violence isn't the answer!"

Marco turned back to the queen, and could only listen carefully as she spoke, with tears running down her cheeks:

"When I saw you after the Emotional Supernova, I couldn't believe what I had done! When I saw you in the process of healing as a wight, I couldn't blame anybody but myself for putting you through it! Ever since I killed you, I got _shit_ from everybody! My girlfriend, my fellow queens, even Pony Head sounded disappointed in me!"

Marco frowned. "Your Majesty-"

"You really think I'm a heartless, self-centered jackass like most of Mewmanity?! I don't even have the chance to be like that, because nobody even bothers treating me with respect in the first place!" Star pointed at the queens. "And _those_ assholes right there can tell you the truth! That even they, my own co-workers and fellow victims of disrespect, don't see _me_ as anything more than a childish, insecure **bastard**!"

Suddenly, Marco slapped Star hard enough to leave a handprint, filling the arena with silence before he stammered:

"I-I'm sorry, your majesty! I-I just wanted you to calm down, a-and I couldn't think of another way to-"

"No, it's okay, I needed that. I forgot that when I get emotional, I lose control very easily," Star wiped off her tears and extended her hand towards Marco. "What I'm trying to say is, I'm sorry for what happened. And while what I did can't be forgiven, nor can it be forgotten quickly, I don't want things between us to get even more heated. So please, let's put this whole ordeal under the bridge."

Marco stared at the hand for a moment, then put up a small smile before he shook it, finally letting both his parents and the queens relax from the drama.

"So, we'll try to put the whole fiasco behind us," Marco remarked as he and Star separated. "Does that mean we should introduce ourselves again? Start over from scratch?"

"If you want," Star shrugged. "I don't mind either way."

Marco smiled and bowed down. "In that case, It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness. I'm Marco Diaz, safe kid of team 6 in the Echo Creek Academy, protector of the biggest arifact museum in Echo Creek, and the coolest loser you'll ever meet."

Star grabbed the tips of her dress and lightly bowed. "And It's my pleasure to meet you too, Marco Diaz. I'm Star Butterfly-Johannsen, Queen of Hearts of Mewni, overseer of infrastructures all across the kingdom, and a hardcore, emotional kid at heart."

Star winked. "I'm a lesbian, by the way."

Marco smirked. "So there's no chance that you'll fall in love with me?"

Star gasped and looked elsewhere. "Don't insult me, plebeian!"

After sharing an amused look, Star and Marco laughed out loud and walked back to the stands, where the queens and Marco's parents caught their breath.

"Alright, it's over," Star stated. "Let's declare it a tie and leave it at that."

"Yes, please, before you destroy the whole arena!" Eclipsa exclaimed. "I mean, holy shit, that last attack-"

"Eclipsa, watch your language!" Moon scolded.

"Yeah, there's a kid in here!" Star added, pointing at Marco.

"Just me?" Marco asked bemused.

"Right, apologies," Eclipsa took a deep breath. " _Unholy_ shit, that last attack!"

"Well, one way or another, I guess it is time for us to go," Angie said as she and Rafael stood up. "Sorry about... Everything that happened."

"Oh, It's alright, we're used to things getting out of hand," Moon said, briefly glaring at Eclipsa before she extended her hand towards Angie. "We'll deliver the artifacts to you tomorrow."

Angie nodded and shook hands with the queen, making sure to sneak an untrusting look at Eclipsa, who stuck out her tongue at her.

Shortly afterwards, the Diazes returned to their van and, without saying anything else, they cut open a portal and left the kingdom while the queens bid them farewell.

"You know, those scissors they used, I think Hekapie uses something similar while at work," Star remarked. "Do you think it might be the same kind of scissors?"

"Don't think about it too much, Star," Meteora stated. "Don't think about it too much."

Most of the council went back inside, with Star looking at the portal left by the Diazes as it closed out of existence, intrigued by the thought of it before she walked back inside, and closed the door, thinking:

" _I wonder if Hekapie gave them those scissors..._ "


	19. Special Delivery

**Last chapter was a doozy, and this chapter will try to be a "calm after the storm" chapter. Keyword being try.**

 **Now, to the reviews:**

 **1) Nobody245: Well, last week, I collapsed for the third or fourth time on my life (I only remember one collapse last year due to an awful scare, and a similar collapse several years earlier for surfing in the dark web, cuz I was an idiot back then), but that was more due to not eating enough. As for the reviewers:**

 *** animehero1000: Busy with his stuff, I assume.**

 *** LoudAutomata16: Busy with a story.**

 *** allen Vth: Busy, maybe?**

 *** Everybody else: Dunno, maybe they're reading but not reviewing?**

 **And now, to the chapter!**

* * *

The next day, Marco rested at the couch when he heard the door being knocked. Believing it was just the mewmans delivering the promised artifacts, the guy stood up, went to the door, opened it... And saw Star outside.

Marco frowned. "Please tell me you're not the artifact delivery Mewman I was waiting for."

"Oh no, not at all," Star moved to the side, revealing the real delivery mewmans. "Those are the guys right behind me."

One quick time skip later, Marco was checking and placing the magical artifacts in their spots while Star sat on the couch, watching the guy do his work.

"I could give you a helping hand if you want," Star remarked.

"No, it's alright," Marco replied. "Even then, you'd probably just summon an actual sentient hand to help me, rather than do it yourself."

"Noted," Star said as she wrote the idea on a notepad. "Anyway, I'm happy to see you again."

Marco flinched and looked elsewhere. "Y-Yeah? Well, I wish I could say the same."

Star frowned, prompting the boy to explain:

"Listen, I know we put the whole fiasco under the water, but I can't put my trust on someone I know little to nothing about. I've only known you for a couple days, after all."

"Well, there has to be something we can do to get to know eachother better, or at least get on friendlier terms," Star frowned. "Any ideas?"

Marco hummed and scratched his chin. "The Scum Bucket is open right now, I guess we could go there?"

"Oh great, the Scum Bucket! That nice place I've always wanted to see!" Star chirped, only to sheepishly smile as she asked, "What's the Scum Bucket?"

Marco rolled his eyes. "Wait until I'm done dealing with the merhandise and I'll show it to you."

 _ **Sometime later, at the Echo Creek Pier...**_

Nachos the Dragoncycle flew towards the pier, with Marco and Star sitting on it's... Seats. And once it landed, the duo got off, with Star shivering as she made sure to touch the ground.

"Thanks for the ride, Nachos," Marco told his Dragoncycle. "Now go back to the house, I'll call you when we're done."

The dragoncycle flew away, and Marco turned to see Star still shivering as she held a post tightly enough to deform it.

"You know, since you're a member of a species of literal lady-bugs, I figured you would be used to flying," Marco remarked as he walked to the queen.

"Fly under my own power? Sure. Flying through any other mean possible? No!" Star released the post and dusted herself. "At the very least it's over. So, where's the Scum Bucket?"

"Underwater," Marco quipped, grabbing Star's hand and guiding her as he properly explained, "The place is underwater, and to get there we need to go down some sort of pipes that will lead us to it."

Star raised an eyebrow. "But there's another way to go in, right?"

"I dunno, I don't come there often, and when I do, It's through the pipes," Marco then remembered something. "Oh, and there might be a bouncer, just something to take note of."

Once the duo reached the mentioned pipes, Marco got a surprise when he saw the bouncer was none other than Mrs. Skullnick, his troll teacher.

"Mrs. Skullnick?!" Marco shook hands with the troll woman. "I didn't think I'd be seeing you here!"

"Well, you know, sometimes you gotta put some extra effort to get enough cash," the troll woman stated, before glaring at Star. "Who's she? Another one of your girlfriends?"

"Not at all, I'm Star Butterfly, Queen of Hearts of Mewni," Star bowed down. "This delightful gentleman here told me that there was a place that served stuff for both mewmans and humans, so-"

"Stop right there, I've heard enough nonsense," Skullnick stated. "The guy can come in, but you'll have to stay out here, little missy. We only accept legitimate Royal Mewmans, no cheap copies allowed."

Marco raised an eyebrow while Star tilted her head in confusion.

"Let me handle this," Star stated as she walked forward to the troll. "Listen, I think you might be mistaken, good sir-"

"First of all, I'm a woman," Skullnick growled, folding her arms. "Second of all, yes, the Queens of Mewni have "VIP" passes, but there's no queen named "Star Butterfly."

"But I'm right here! I'm Star Butterfly, the Queen of-!" Star snapped before she saw Marco gesturing her to calm down. And once she did, she said, "Okay, how about Star Butterfly-Johannsen?"

"Adding names won't make a difference; There's no mewman queen named "Star Butterfly," period." Skullnick bluntly stated. "If you still insist you're an actual queen, why don't you do your supposed job and check the history of the queens of your walled garden?"

"First of, the Queen of Spades is the one in charge of the history of Mewni, not the Queen of Hearts. They're linked with Omnitraxus, after all," Star stated, narrowing her eyes as she stated, "And secondly, I might do just that!"

Marco separated the women. "Whoa, let's not get into a catfight all of a sudden!"

"Yeah, you better not trigger me!" Star hissed before snapping her fingers, morphing her form into a cat. "I'm the maddest, most dangerous pussycat you'll ever meet in your life!"

Skullnick took out a water sprayer and sprayed Star, causing the girl to turn back to normal and hide behind Marco.

"Listen, Skullnick, the mewman's coming with me, okay?" Marco said. "I'll keep an eye on her, I promise."

Skullnick raised an eyebrow, then rolled her eyes. "If she does something funny, it's on you."

The troll moved aside, allowing the pair to go inside the tube... Together. As close as possible. Pressing eachother as they slid down, and landed on opposites of a table right in the middle of the place.

And it didn't take long before Star took a look around, finding the several other odd pairings on the rest of the tables, the calming atmosphere provided by the background jazz music, and the windows showcasing the ocean and the marine life swimming in it, to name a few.

"Wow, this place looks great!" Star remarked as she continued scanning her surroundings. "I almost feel upset I didn't come here sooner!"

And then a familiar face arrived to take their order: Jackie Lynn-Thomas, wearing a bartender uniform.

"Good evening to you, dear customers," Jackie said as she put two pieces of paper on the table. "Names and species, please."

Star checked the paper, which had a blank line for her name, and a list of options for species: Human, Mewman, Monster, Human-Mewman, Human-Monster, Mewnster, and Other.

What the duo chose was obvious, so with that done, Jackie handed them the menus.

"I want a burger and fries, please," Marco stated

"A salad for-" Star said before noticing Jackie placing some kind of collar on both her and Marco's necks. "Me?"

"Before you ask, these are special magic-negating collars that prevent you from casting magic of any kind whatsoever," Jackie explained, before shooting a glare at Star. "They were added to the etiquette after a _certain species_ once left the bucket without paying."

Jackie leaned closer menacingly to the queen, only to back away and chirp, "Would you like drinks with your order?"

"Yeah, coke for me," Marco said.

"One for me too," Star added.

Jackie nodded, turned to the counter and exclaimed, "Rasticore! A salad and a burger and fries for table 5!"

The septarian cook peeked from the window and shouted "Got it!" before going back to cooking.

With that said and done, Jackie left, leaving the duo to their own devices.

"What, just a salad? That's it?" Marco asked out loud. "I thought mewmans were omnivorous."

"We are, but some prefer salads and greens over other stuff, like me," Star answered with a nod. "Is there a problem?"

"Yeah, a bunch of vegetables can't give you enough calories to survive," Marco bluntly stated. "Why don't you order some meat along with that stuff?"

Star shot a flattered smile at Marco, who blushed and looked elsewhere as he stammered, "I-It's not like I'm concerned for your health or anything, I-I'm just making a suggestion."

Suddenly, Jackie returned and gave the pair their orders, throwing a glare at Star before saying, with a cheerful tone:

"A salad and a burger and fries, bon appetit!"

Jackie walked away, and Star promptly asked, "What's up with her?"

"That's Jackie, one of the girls I'm dating, and she's just a bit worried that you might hurt me," Marco answered as he took a bite out of his burger. "You know, since a certain mewman killed me. Just because I'm cool with you now doesn't mean everyone else will."

"I expected that," Star sighed sadly before taking a bite out of her salad. "So, anyway, are you going to Meteora's event tomorrow?"

Marco paused and raised an eyebrow. "What event?"

"There's going to be an event at the reformatory to honor Festivia, the former headmistress of the institution," Star briefly explained. "I thought you had heard about it by now."

Marco shook his head. "This is the first time I've heard of it. Maybe I could see if Mom and Dad let me go there, but after the whole fiasco between you and me, I don't think they'll be up for it."

Star sighed sadly. "Well, I was just asking, you don't have to go if you don't want to."

"Are _you_ going to Meteora's ball, dance, whatever it is?" Marco asked, raising an eyebrow. "I'm asking, 'cause I want to mentally prepare myself to see you again, in case I do go, that is."

"Yes, I'll be going with Hekapoo and Pony Head as my guests," Star answered before taking a bite out of her food. "Are you going to take someone?"

"One of my girlfriends, named Brittney, and... I wanted to invite Tom too, but he said he was busy with an apprentice," Marco sighed. "So, I may go with my other girlfriend, Jackie."

"Ah yes, I forgot you have multiple girlfriends," Star sighed. "What about the third one?"

"Janna? She said she was busy," Marco looked elsewhere. "Something about having to go train with the king of the underworld or something."

"For real?!" Star exclaimed. "Tom told me yesterday that he had some business with a girl named Janna!"

Marco raised an eyebrow. "And what does that have to do with anything?"

"Tom's the king of the underworld!" Star stated.

"Are you serious?! Last time we met, he was still a prince!" Marco put a hand on his cheek. "What the heck happened for him to get promoted to king?!"

Star got ready to answer, but hastily shut her mouth and shook her head. "Anyway, I might be getting ahead of myself, but do you think your girlfriend and the girl he's training are the same person?"

"Hmm, well, Janna always wanted to see the underworld, so it's possible," Marco scratched his chin and took a bite out of his burger. "Still, we should ask them first. Jumping to conclusions right now would be such a mewman thing to do."

"Agreed," Star chuckled. "I'll ask Tom when I get the chance."

"And I'll do the same with Janna..." Marco paused and looked at his half-eaten food. "Is it just me, or have we been talking more than eating?"

"Well, I came here with you to mostly talk and stuff, the food's just a nice bonus," Star took a bite out of her salad. "But, I guess we could eat now and leave the talking for the dance."

Marco nodded in agreement. "Sounds like a plan."

The duo started eating their food, only for them to start hearing some gossip nearby:

" _Hey, isn't that the Queen of Hearts of Mewni?_ "

" _Nah, everybody knows there's been no Queen of Hearts since Solaria, it's probably just a cosplayer._ "

" _Yeah, I mean look at her! She looks more like the daughter of a queen than a queen herself!_ "

Star just rolled her eyes and continued eating, while Marco looked at her with concern. And then the gossip started focusing on Marco.

" _Hey, that's the night guard of the Diaz Store-Museum, right?_ "

" _Didn't he get killed by a Mewman a couple days ago? Why's he with one of them?_ "

" _Isn't it obvious? He's probably, finally hit the road block when it comes to friendships._ "

Marco flinched, and immediately went back to his food, trying to eat it as quickly as possible as it became Star's turn to look at him with worry, though the ensuing gossips slowly made her grow angrier:

" _Yeah, come to think of it, he has no idea what to do with his three girlfriends, right?_ "

" _They barely qualify as girlfriends anyway, they're more like girl friends, separate, who hang out with him out of pity._ "

" _Out of pity? How sad, even his "friends" at school have actual girlfriends, and he only has companions._ "

" _That's to be expected, though. After all, he's the kind of hybrid nobody would ever want to associate with-_ "

Star opened her mouth.

"That's enough!"

However, she didn't say that. Instead, Jackie, who was cleaning a bottle, said that as she and Rasticore eyed the gossiping customers.

"This is an environment friendly to all species, hybrid pure blooded," Jackie stated, with Rasticore nodding in agreement. "If you want to make some racist remarks, then get out of here!"

The customers paid their food and left, but not without sneaking one last dialogue:

" _Why did she even get mad at us? We were talking about the guy's hybrid type, not hers!_ "

Once gone, Star turned back to Marco, who hung his head low and remained motionless, with both the burger and fries stuck in his mouth.

Saddened by the sight, Star turned to the counter and exclaimed, "Check, please!"

 _ **A little bit later...**_

Star and Marco sat on a bench, drinking what remained of their shakes after paying for their food. Well, Marco paid the food, Star only had mewman currency.

And as soon as they finished, they threw the drinks on a trashcan, with Marco's throw holding a lot more strength than Star's.

Not only that, but when Star looked back, she saw the boy put his hoodie on and look at the sky with a neutral look, one that Star managed to interpret as sadness.

"Hey, what those people said-"

"Don't try to comfort me," Marco sighed, putting his hands on his pockets. "I'm used to them calling me names like that: Freak of nature, weirdo, abomination-"

"But you shouldn't be!" Star stated. "I mean, I'm called a lot of names too, but at least I know the reason why: Mewmanity has done a terrible job with first impressions."

Star scanned Marco. "But you? I can't see, or haven't seen yet anyway, a reason for why you would "deserve" being called those things!"

"My mere existence is a reason, Your Highness," Marco sighed. "Humans aren't supposed to be able to give birth to hybrids, let alone breed with mewmans or monsters, and look at me: A Human-Monster hybrid whose monster half hasn't even been identified yet."

Marco lowered his head and frowned, prompting Star to pat his back and say:

"People can say whatever they want, but to me, you'll always be Marco Diaz, the coolest loser I've ever known."

"And to me, you'll always be Star Butterfly-Johannsen," Marco looked at the queen and smiled. "The only Mewman I can honestly consider my friend."

Star's eyes shined with joy as her smile grew wider, though she turned back to normal as Marco added:

"And since I consider you a friend, I need to ask you something."

Marco wrapped his arm around Star and guided her out of the pier, looking elsewhere to hide his somber look.

And as they walked, they talked for a bit:

"So, I'm guessing the "Johannsen" part of your surname comes from your Dad, right?" Marco asked, earning a nod from the queen. "Mewni's a matriarchy, though, why don't you just use your Mom's surname?"

"Believe it or not, despite being a matriarchy, the queens primarily focus on the larger-scale problems presented on the universe as a whole, rather than just the kingdom, while it's the King's job to watch over the kingdom itself," Star explained. "Since the kings mostly follow orders from the queens, though, they're essentially puppet monarchs, so they're not all that highly regarded. Even so, I identify as both Butterfly and Johannsen, hence why I use both surnames."

"I see..." Marco took a deep breath. "Do you have any siblings?"

"Legitimately, none that I know of, but you know how royalty tends to be like in the bedroom," Star blushed and looked elsewhere with a sneaky smile. "You have one legitimate heir, and maybe half a dozen children born out of wedlock."

Marco raised an eyebrow and shot a curious look at Star. "And you think your mother did something like that?"

Star looked at Marco, playing with her hair as she snickered, "Maybe..."

And then, Star remembered something and asked, "By the way, where did you get the interdimensional scissors you usted to travel to Mewni and back to Earth?"

"You'd have to ask my parents," Marco answered with a shrug. "They're the ones who got the scissors, not me."

Star looked back at the road with concern. "I see..."

Sometime later, the duo reached a forest close to the Diaz household, and Marco leaned against a tree and folded his arms as he popped the question:

"Star, how do you suggest I deal with my "multiple girlfriends" problem?"

Star frowned. "You're asking based on what I said before, right?"

Marco lowered his head, and Star looked elsewhere. "I need to know more about your girls first before I can give you an answer."

"Well, maybe we could try to schedule a time for you to hang out with them?" Marco scratched the back of his head. "Because honestly, you need to see them for yourself."

"That sounds good," Star then got an idea. "And until then, you could always try to go on a date with them."

Marco flinched. "A-All of them?"

"Individually, you doofus," Star chuckled. "Ask them if they want to hang out, and try to spend some time with them."

Marco scratched his chin and thought about the idea, gaining a nervous smile as he said, "I guess It's worth a shot."

Star extended her hand forward. "Glad I could be of service."

The pair shook hands, but as soon as they touched, the duo briefly saw eachother with a notably different look:

In Star's eyes, Marco was a bit more muscular, he had long white hair reaching past his waist, four brown eyes instead of two, a pair of draconic wings sprouting from his back, and white markings across his arms and body, the latter looking slightly like a skeleton.

In Marco's eyes, Star looked like her full Magic usage/Butterfly-like form, but with the same markings as him, two golden monster-like eyes, and reddish skin.

Upon seeing eachother like that, the two released their hands and exchanged an awkward silence for a while.

"A-Anyway," Marco ran away. "Goodbye, Butterfly!"

Star stared at the boy as he ran, before looking back at her hand, intrigued by the sight.

 _ **The Diaz Household...**_

Marco opened the door and walked inside, and as soon as he closed the door, he heard someone say:

"And then I looked into a mirror after summoning the sphere, and boom, these cheekmarks appeared!"

He walked closer to the source, which turned out to be Brittney, holding a white life magic sphere on her hands, talking with Mr. and Mrs. Diaz, the former sitting on the couch while the latter scanned Brittney's present cheekmarks.

"So, those things only appear while you're channeling magic?" Angie asked as Brittney dissipated the sphere, her cheekmarks vanishing as she nodded in response. "Good, that means some of your humanity remains."

And then everybody turned around and spotted Marco.

"Oh hi, son," Mr. Diaz said. "Where did you go?"

Remembering it was probably a bad idea to mention he hung out with a Mewman specifically, Marco just said:

"I went for a quick bite at the Scum Bucket."

And then Brittney ran up to the boy. "Marco, Lekmet taught me how to use life magic and I did it!"

"That's good to hear Brittney!" Marco blinked twice. "What did you do?"

Brittney conjured a sphere of life magic, causing her cheekmarks to appear again. "I managed to summon it! I can't quite control it, but I still managed to do it!"

"Those are great news, Brittney!" Marco said as the girl extinguished the sphere before it got out of control. "Practice a bit more, and you might make a fine safe kid one day."

Brittney tilted her head. "But not as good as you, right?"

Marco remained silent for a couple seconds, then walked towards his parents as Brittney stuttered, "S-Sorry if I upset you!"

Once he was close to his parents, Marco put his hands on his pockets and said, "Mom, Dad, can I ask you something?"

"If It's about hanging out again, no," Angie growled. "You left us really worried when you just up and left without telling us, you know?! You'll stay here for the rest of the day, period!"

"It's not to hang out today, more like tomorrow," Marco sheepishly explained. "You see, there's an event happening at St. Meteora's-"

"The place with the Mewnster headmistress? I'm sorry, but the answer's still no," Angie put her hands on her hips. "Mewmans are already untrustworthy as they are, Marco: A hybrid between a species we _can't_ trust and a species we _do_ trust can only spell bad news!"

Marco folded his arms. "You didn't object when Meteora invited me to her reformatory last time!"

"Because she was smart enough to deny you the chance to reject the invitation," Mrs. Diaz stated. "But now that you _can_ reject it, you're not going to that place, and that's it!"

"Can we just agree that one good mewnster or mewman isn't enough to justify trusting then all of a sudden?" Mr. Diaz nervously suggested. "Seriously, please, don't start anything too messy."

Marco sighed. "Mom, if you could just let me explain-"

Angie stomped the ground, and as darkness escaped from her bandages and surrounded her like mist, her eyes turned golden as she shouted, with a demonic voice:

"You're staying here far away from this disgusting insect ladies, and that's it! Because I'm not going to let you endanger your life just because one mewnster was nice to you!"

Without warning, the shadow started being covered in the same darkness as Angie, only for it to stop and retract back into her body when she noticed.

Once the darkness was gone, Angie looked at a worried Marco, and ran upstairs, with Mr. Diaz chasing her and leaving the teenagers alone.

 _ **Mr. and Mrs. Diaz bedroom...**_

Angie sat on the bed, covering her face with her hands while Rafael checked his wife's body to see if the darkness had spread. And sadly, it had: It now fully covered her arms, partially covered one of her legs, and dots of it could be seen on her abdomen.

"I didn't mean to do that," Angie whimpered.

"I know you didn't," Rafael said as he bandaged the newly infected areas.

"I didn't mean to burst like that!" Angie cried.

"Again, I know," Rafael finished bandaging the spots and sat next to his wife. "Listen, Honey, calm down, I'm sure Marco will understand why you blew up like you did."

"But will Brittney?!" Angie panicked, grabbing and pulling her hair. "She was so happy a second ago, and then I have the outburst and she has this look of horror on her face!"

"I'm sure she'll understand too," Rafael patted the woman's back. "Listen, the best thing you can do right now is apologize for what happened, and explain why you snapped like that in the first place."

Angie turned to her husband, who gave her a reassuring look and a nod, bringing a smile to her face.

 _ **Meanwhile, with Marco and Brittney...**_

The teenagers sat on the couch, the former gently brushing the latter's hair as she shivered.

"I don't think I've ever seen Mrs. Diaz so angry before," Brittney shakingly said. "S-She's not like that very often, right?"

"No, only when she gets extremely angry," Marco sighed. "I'm sorry for getting her to snap like that."

"It's not like you would've known she'd get that angry," Brittney yawned. "Maybe a little angry, but not extremely angry."

Brittney stood up and got off the couch. "Anyway, I'll go to my room and take a sleeping pill. I'm definitely gonna need it."

Marco smiled warmly. "Do you want me to sleep with you, just in case you have nightmares?"

Brittney reached for her back and took out a plushie version of Marco. "Nah, Plushco will keep me company."

Marco nodded in agreement, and the cheerleader walked to her room, leaving Marco alone to talk to himself about Star's "advice:"

"Ask each of them out for a date... Brittney seems like she could use a calm time, so I could ask her out."

The boy leaned back and put his arms behind his head. "Janna might be a bit harder, assuming she's really training with Tom, but I can still see us tree somehow coming to an agreement."

And then, he realized something.

"However, I would have to ask Jackie out too..."

Marco remembered last time he asked Jackie out.

 _ **Echo Creek Academy, a couple days before Valentine's Day...**_

 _Jackie stood near her locker as she watched a nervous Marco ask her, while looking at the ground:_

 _"Would... Go out with me?"_

 _The skater flinched and looked around to see some students looking at the scene, waiting her answer._

 _Jackie turned back to Marco, and with a stern look stated:_

 _"No."_

 _Marco looked back up, prompting the girl to continue:_

 _"Listen, Marco, you seem like a decent guy, and in any other case I'd probably have said yes, but right now, I just can't see things working out between us."_

 _Marco tilted his head. "Huh?"_

 _"We should see some other people first," Jackie said, looking elsewhere as her voice started to shake. "S-So, if you and I are still single by then... Sure, maybe then, but not right now."_

 _Marco frowned. "What do you-?"_

 _Jackie slapped her locker, and with her voice cracking, furiously yelled:_

 _"Take a freaking hint, you freak of nature! I don't want to go out with you! Not now, not later, and if you keep bothering me and making this difficult for me, not ever!"_

 _ **Back at the Present...**_

Marco sighed. "I'm sorry, Star, but I can't just take that risk again."

Feeling exhausted, Marco rested his head on a pillow and tried to rest, while his concerned Mother watched from the shadows.

And then, she left those same shadows and went to her son's side. "Marco, sweetie, do you have a moment?"

Marco groaned, which Mrs. Diaz took as a yes.

"Listen, I'm sorry for the way I snapped at you earlier," Angie said as she sat next to Marco and brushed his hair. "It's just that, the idea that you would be willing to go to a mewman event after one of them killed you... It terrified me."

Marco got up and looked at the woman with worry.

"I already lost a son, Marco. It was one of the most devastating losses I had ever experienced," Angie unwrapped one of her arms and looked at the black stuff surrounding them. "And now, not only do I fear losing you and the girls, but my own mind as well."

Marco looked at the arm worriedly. "Did your infection worsen?!"

"It gets worse the more negative emotions I experience," Mrs. Diaz wrapped her arm back. "My outburst most likely worsened it. And I've been training with Globgor to try fix the issue, but it's still there."

Angie turned to her son. "Listen, Marco, you can't go to the event, but you _can_ go to the Lucitor kingdom to visit Tom and Janna."

Marco snickered. "So you'll let me go the literal underworld, but not a formal mewman event?"

Angie leaned closer to Marco, her face turning serious as she stated:

"That's just how bad mewmans are, son. You're far safer in a physical representation of hell itself, than with those deplorable ladybugs."

Angie backed away and took a deep breath. "Anyway, that... That's all I wanted to say. I'll go make dinner now-"

Suddenly, Marco hugged the woman, catching her off-guard.

"Okay, Mom, I'll steer away from the mewmans if you want," Marco tightened the hug. "I assure you, I'll never let them hurt or kill me again."

Angie smiled and returned, shedding a single tear as she replied:

"And I won't let them hurt you either, my little sun."


	20. Two Sides

**Okay, now we're going to get some more interesting surprises in this chapter that, believe me, will leave you wondering what the heck they mean.**

 **I'm doing this by accident, honest. XD**

 **But first, to the reviews:**

 **1) Nobody245:**

 *** Yes.**

 *** That's a good suggestion, actually. I'll try to keep it in mind when we return to that plot point.**

 **2) Guest: I'm sure Mr. Diaz called Marco "Junior" in an earlier chapter.**

 **And now, to the chapter!**

* * *

 _ **Lucitor Kingdom...**_

Marco rode Nachos the dragoncycle across the skies of the underworld as he headed towards Tom's kingdom, parking close to the entrance once they were close enough.

"Okay, Nachos, wait right here while I check if Janna's the girl's Tom's training," Marco told the draconic vehicle. "Again, I'll whistle for you to come pick me up, alright?"

"Marco!"

The guy, recognizing the voice, got a wide smile on his face as he turned around and saw none other than Tom himself running towards him.

"Tom!"

Marco ran after the demon as well, and once they were close enough, Tom leaped straight into Marco's arms, and the pair shared a deep, passionate kiss.

And once the kiss ended and they separated, Tom said, "I was starting to wonder when you were gonna arrive."

Marco chuckled, "You knew I was coming?"

"As soon as I was informed a dragoncycle was coming, I knew exactly who was coming," Tom answered. "Anyway, what brings you here?"

Marco put the Demon King down and answered, "I wanted to see if Janna, one of my girlfriends, is here."

"Janna... Black-haired, wears a beanie, has an obssession with the occult?" Tom asked, earning a nod from Marco. "Yeah, I think she's here."

 _ **Tom's Bedroom...**_

The king opened the door and pushed Marco inside. "She's been stuck here for a while, and I was hoping you could, I don't know, convince her to get out or something."

"Well, I'll see what I can do," Marco dusted himself. "But why's she here anyway?"

Tom sighed. "You'll see soon."

The demon closed the door, and Marco began looking for Janna... Which didn't take long, as he spotted something hiding under the bedsheets.

"Janna, are you there?" he asked.

"M-M-Marco!" Janna exclaimed under the bedsheet. "What are you doing here?!"

Marco rolled his eyes. "Mom didn't allow me to go to the event at St. Meteora's, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to come here and pay you a visit instead."

"Please, at least tell me you came alone!" Janna spoke.

"Jackie and Brittney are back on Earth, and my parents came, but they're outside right now," Marco explained as he placed his hands on his pockets. "Right now, though? Yeah, I'm alone."

Janna moved a little around the bedsheet, until she managed to slightly peek out. "I... Look a bit different than before."

"Yeah, Tom told me," Marco casually remarked. "He said something about you drinking his blood, or something."

"Y-Yeah, I did that," Janna slightly moved back inside the bedsheet. "But there were side effects of doing so that I didn't consider at all."

"Well, however you look now, I'm sure It's nothing too bad," Marco folded his arms. "Come on out, let me see how you look now."

Janna hesitated, but eventually crawled out of the sheet and got on the ground, dusting herself as Marco checked her out:

Physically, Janna looked the same as she's always been, with a couple exceptions: Her skin was a little paler, her hair got red highlights, two cow-like horns protruded from the sides of her head pointing upwards, and she had prominent fangs.

Her pupils were also diamond-shaped, for some reason.

"Hey, you know what?" Marco scratched his chin and walked closer to the girl. "If you had a tail and a third eye, you'd almost look like a female Tom."

"Yeah, I pointed that out to him, and he explained to me that the reason I look like this is because drinking a demon's blood makes whoever drank it to get some, but not all, traits of the demon the blood belonged to," Janna folded her arms and rolled her eyes. "Then he joked that this would technically make me his daughter, so he crowned me "Princess Janna Lucitor."

"And where's your crown?" Marco scoffed.

"It's my beanie, of course!" Janna stated with pride. "It's been with me since I was a baby, and if I'll ever get to make a decree, is that beanies be accepted as royal headwear, damn it!"

Marco shot a disapproving look at Janna, who just shrugged, "Hey, neither Mr. Diaz nor Mr. Candle are here, so I can swear as much as I want. Especially considering how Tom's got a dirty tongue too."

"You should still try to be careful," Marco looked at his surroundings. "I've been in the demon culture long enough to know that if you say the wrong thing to the wrong person, then your butt being dominated will be the least of your worries."

"Dominated?" Janna raised a curious eyebrow. "So, It's true that the demons base their culture on BDSM?!"

Marco shot a shocked look at Janna, then snapped: "No! They just value the concept of explicit dominance and submission!"

Marco leaned closer to the transformed girl. "And since you're not from around here, who knows what they'd do to you of they found someone with a sharp tongue like you!"

"I have a couple ideas."

Marco and Janna tried to jump into eachother's arms, but they just crashed into eachother and hit the ground instead. Once they looked up, they saw the one speaking was none other than Tom, who was leaning against the wall.

"I was going to explain my culture to her, but thanks for doing my job, Marco, I appreciate it," Tom walked to Janna and folded his arms behind his back as the duo got back up. "Anyway, what he says is true, Janna: Dominance and submission play a big part in the kingdom's lifestyle, and if you try to act in a way that doesn't fit your type, then the issue is taken to the Lucitor family itself."

Tom leaned closer to Janna, his eyes turning a glowing vivid red. "It's our job to make sure that nobody thinks they can get away with anything, or should let everything happen to them, just because they fit a particular type."

"Okay, Tom, please quit it, you're creeping her out," Marco said, gently separating the pair. "I mean, I know she probably gave the impression that she loves demonic stuff, but even _she_ has her limits."

"Hmph, well, I did have another reason to come here," Tom's eyes turned back to normal. "Janna, Mr. Candle is ready to begin your first lesson. And Marco, I know you probably wanna look around and stuff, but could you please watch her while she trains? You know, have the first aid kit ready in case anything happens."

Marco scratched his chin and thought about it before he gave the demon king a thumbs up and said, "Sure, no problem."

And so, with all that said and dealt with, Janna stretched a bit and guided Marco to the training arena, ready to give her new body a shot.

 _ **Meanwhile, with Jackie and Brittney...**_

Jackie and Brittney were relaxing at the skate park, the former performing some skateboarding tricks on a half loop while the latter sat on a bench, talking about her training with Lekmet:

"And then I formed a sphere of life magic, and weird cheekmarks appeared on my, well, cheeks! But then the magic started going out of control and I threw it away, and when it blew up, it created some sort of confetti that made plants grow!"

Jackie finished one more skateboarding trick, then held her skateboard on her hand as she walked to the cheerleader.

"Brittney, that's cool and all, but don't you think It's a bit..." Jackie sat next to Brittney. "I don't know, something just doesn't feel right about this situation."

Brittney tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

"Lekmet, one of the highest Great Magical Ones in existence, just up and decides to teach you magic? And not just any kind of magic, but life magic, one of the harder types of magic to learn?" Jackie recapped, scratching her chin. "I'm sorry, but it sounds to me like there's something going on."

Brittney looked at the ground and hummed, thinking about what Jackie said.

And then she blurted, "What did your cheekmarks look like, by the way?"

Brittney perked up. "Let me show you!"

The cheerleader put her palms together, and channeled the magic before creating yet another sphere of life magic, with her cheekmarks materializing soon afterwards.

Jackie took a closer, intrigued look at the cheekmarks, finishing just before Brittney dissipated the sphere and her cheekmarks disappeared.

"Pretty cool, right?" Brittney asked with a cheerful smile.

"I guess so..." Jackie leaned back. "But of all cheekmarks you could get, why cups? And besides, why did they disappear when you undid the sphere?"

"The cheekmarks only exist as long as I'm channeling magic," the girl explained. "According to Mrs. Diaz, It's a sign that I still have some of my humanity left."

Jackie looked at the ground with concern, only for Brittney to put a hand on her shoulder and ask:

"How about you give it a shot?"

Jackie winced. "Give what a shot?"

"Channeling magic," Brittney clarified, grabbing Jackie's hands with her own as she added, "It would be good to know I'm not the only one that can channel magic! And besides, you might get a cool pair of cheekmarks too-"

Jackie broke free of Brittney's grasp and exchanged looks with her before she pointed at her necklace and said, "I-I can already use magic! Remember this thing? It lets me use hydrokinesis, and cryokinesis if I'm feeling upset!"

Brittney blinked twice. "Jackie, that's not the same thing."

The skater sighed. "I know, but-"

Brittney moved closer to Jackie and rested her head against her shoulder, shooting a puppy-dog eyed look as she said:

"Please, Jackie, try it out! I'll cheer for you if it helps!"

" _It's almost hard to believe she used to be the biggest jerk in the academy..._ " Jackie thought, her shocked look remaining frozen until she smiled and said, "Alright, I'll try."

Brittney cheered up and grabbed Jackie before dragging her out of the skate park, with the skater managing to take her skateboard with her.

"Where are we going?!" Jackie asked.

"To the best place for you to channel your magic!" Brittney chirped. "Which also happens to be your favorite place!"

Jackie and Brittney looked up ahead in the horizon, and the former got a big wide smile as she saw they were heading to none other than the Echo Creek Pier.

 _ **St. Meteora's...**_

A pair of carriages parked close to the entrance, with the one closer to it opening first. From there, Star came out, wearing a navy blue tuxedo, and she was followed shortly by Hekapoo and Pony Head, the former wearing a layered lava-like dress while the latter had a bow tied to her horn.

"Alright, we're here," Star said before grabbing Hekapoo's hand. "Are you ready, my lovely flame?"

Hekapoo blushed and looked elsewhere. "You know it, my precious monarch."

"Okay, you two seriously need to tell me the story of how you got together at some point," Pony Head remarked as she flew alongside the couple. "I mean, one's a flaming ball of energy hidden behind a calm look, and the other's B-Fly."

The girls just laughed at Pony Head's remark as they walked to the entrance, where they met with Arms.

"Oh hey, Your Highness and Your Flaming Omnipresence," Arms greeted, smiling as soon as she saw the pair.

"Oh please, Meteora's Second In-Command, don't be so formal," Hekapoo waved her hand in a dismissive manner. "Please call me Your Flaming, Luminous, Glamorous, Exotic, Divine Omnipresence."

"Don't call me by my real name, and I'll never call you that in return," Arms stated as she checked her list. "Star Butterfly, Hekapoo, and Pony Head. Okay, you're all in the list, you may come in."

"Okay, but before we go, one tiny little question," Star leaned forward and whispered, "Do you know if a certain Marco Diaz is here?"

"The guy who came here a couple days ago? No, he's not here," Arms quickly surfed through her list. "She's not even part of the list, either as normal or V.I.P."

"What?!" Star exclaimed. "Why not?!"

"I didn't think it was fair after the little fight you had."

Everybody turned and saw Meteora approaching them. The Hybrid Headmistress, like Star, was wearing a tuxedo, though hers was purple.

"Ah, I see I'm not the only one with a good taste in clothes," Star said with a slightly teasing tone.

"I wanted to wear a dress, but I couldn't find any that fit me in time, so I had to go with this thing," Meteora explained, playing with her hair as she did. "Anyway, Star, there's something I need to talk with you about."

Star, Hekapoo, and Pony Head all went inside and leaned forward, which the Queen of Hearts soon noticed. "Girls, she means that she needs to tell me in private."

With that said, Pony Head and Hekapoo went to do their own thing, while Star followed Meteora to her office.

"So, what do you want to talk about?" Star inquired, folding her arms. "If you wanna talk about it in private, then it has to be something either personal or really serious."

"It's about a plan I came up with Brittney," Meteora answered, focusing on the road ahead. "One that we hope will help us get access to the monster temple."

Star hummed, intrigued at what the idea could be as she and Meteora reached the latter's office and went inside, Meteora looking to the sides before closing it.

Meanwhile, back outside, the other carriage shook left and right until It's door opened, causing Moon to be shot out and land face-first into the ground. She was wearing a light blue layered dress, with diamond-shaped sparkles all over it.

"I told you a dozen times already, Moon!" a voice that sounded suspiciously like Mina's yelled from within the carriage. "I don't want to go anywhere near the reformatory!"

Moon growled, got up, and reaching inside the carriage before she pulled as hard as she could. Slowly but surely, she managed to drag an unwilling Mina out of the vehicle, revealing she was wearing her old outfit back when she was working under Moon's legion.

"And I already told you, I'm not going to let you spend however long you'll stay in Mewni inside a prison cell!" Moon snapped, successfully dragging the warrior out. "You need some fresh air!"

Mina yanked herself free from Moon's grasp. "Oh please, we both know that's not what you want!"

The warrior put her hands on her pockets and walked away. "If you really want me back, the least you could do is act like your old self and be _honest_ with me!"

Suddenly, Moon grabbed Mina by her odango-pigtails-hairstyle and pulled her against a tree, where she then pinned her against her as she shot a furious glare at her, with the added anomaly that her eyes turned red in that precise moment.

"You want honesty? Fine, let me be as bluntly honest as I can be," Moon leaned forward, narrowing her glare. "I've spent hundreds of years without the one person who helped me cope with the crap the kingdom's been through, and now that I have her back, I'm not going to let anything or anybody separate us again!"

Mina gulped as Moon forcefully grabbed her hand and stated:

"Now this is what we're going to do: We're gonna go to the ball _together_ , we're gonna have fun _together_ , and we're going to have the night of our lives! _Together_! Have I made myself clear!?"

Seeing she had no choice, Mina took a deep breath and muttered, "Crystal clear."

Moon's eyes turned back to normal, and she and the annoyed Mina headed to the entrance, together.

"Moon, you know I'm a wanted criminal, right?" Mina pointed out. "I mean, don't you think it would be better if I remained back at the castle?"

"And rot in a prison cell?" Moon stated, shaking her head. "That's ridiculous! Why stay in a cell when you could spend time with me, your ex-girlfriend?"

"We're heading into Meteora's territory, Moon!" Mina snapped. "Meteora! The hybrid that gave Celena a tough fight, and the daughter of one of the most powerful monsters in existence!"

Mina leaned closer and narrowed her eyes. "This can only spell bad news, especially if Eclipsa's here too!"

"Oh, Mina, don't be so negative," Moon replied as she dragged Mina with her to the entrance. "I'm sure that if we explain why you're with me, I'm sure they'll-"

Arms suddenly stopped them and yelled, "What the underworld are you doing here!?"

Moon narrowed her eyes and put her hands on her hips. "What, can't a stressed Queen take a day off to release some stress?"

"Not you, Your Majesty, your presence is always welcomed in our institution," Arms clarified, bowing down at the Queen before shooting a glare at Mina. "I'm talking about the underaged assassion coming with you!"

"I told you they wouldn't let me in," Mina remarked, rolling her eyes.

"Don't lose hope just yet," Moon turned back to Arms. "Listen-"

"Your Highness, I'm really sorry to tell you this, but I can't allow your ex-girlfriend enter no matter what," Arms showed her list to Moon. "She's in the list of people who aren't allowed passage to the reformatory."

"But-"

Without warning, Mina put a hand on Moon's shoulder, turned her towards herself and, with a calm smile, told her:

"Moon, you should've lived long enough to know that certain things can't be forgiven. My attempt to kill Meteora was one such thing, and while I'm kinda flattered you wanted to go to the dance with me, let's be honest, that's just not going to happen."

Moon frowned. "Mina..."

Mina put her remaining hand on Moon's remaining shoulder and stated:

"Go have fun, don't miss this chance just because I'm not coming."

With that said, Mina released the queen, and walked to the garden nearby, with both Arms and Moon looking at her: The former with pure rage, and the latter with regret as she was pushed into the ball.

 _ **Back at the Underworld...**_

Janna and Mr. Candle clashed, the former using the sword while the latter was partially covered in fire. As for Marco, he was sitting on a bench, watching them fight.

Janna dodged some fireballs shot by Mr. Candle, then swung her sword twice, sending flaming waves after the man, who simply deflected them before he flew straight towards the girl.

Janna lowered her sword a bit, and made it grind against the ground as she dodged and fled from Candle, forming an off shape of sorts.

Once she was back where she started, the girl jumped away, then slammed her sword on the ground, causing the odd shape she made to burst in flames.

Mr. Candle seemed to be trapped, only for him to literally inhale the flames, then spit out a giant fireball straight at the demonic human, who took her sword out of the ground and used it to slice the fireball in two, with the halves exploding once they hit the ground.

"Okay, I think that'll be enough for today," Mr. Candle stated as his flames dissipated and he hit the ground. "Good work today, Janna."

"What, that's it?! Oh come, Candle, I was just getting pumped up!" Janna whined, stomping the ground. "Just five more minutes, please!"

"Sorry, but I need to talk with Tom about something related to his life coach," Candle walked away. "Talk with Marco while I'm away, okay?"

Once he was out of sight, Janna walked to Marco, dragging her sword against the ground before dropping it as soon as she sat next to the guy.

"You were pretty excited to continue, huh?" Marco asked.

"You bet! All the flames, and the sword, and the odd shape I did bursting into flames, and the mere fact I could actually do something without Ferguson and Alfonzo too, that made me really happy!" Janna chirped, resting her chin on the back of her hand. "I just, I don't know, I wish the experience had lasted a little bit longer."

"Hmm... how does it feel to no longer be a human?" Marco asked.

"I'm still human, Marco: Tom told me that just drinking the blood of a demon Isn't enough to turn me into one," Janna sighed sadly. "And, as long as I can become capable of learning fire magic, then I'm okay with it."

Marco hummed as he checked the pale girl, only to realize something:

"You asked Mom for permission before doing it, right?!"

Janna put her hands on her cheeks and shrieked, realizing her fatal mistake.

"Okay, let's try not to panic, 'cause that's never helped anybody before!" Marco stated as he rubbed the shoulders of a hyper ventilating Janna. "I'm sure that Tom has some sort of glamour spell or potion that can hide your new look from Mom!"

"Yeah, maybe I should learn about that first," Janna remarked, then thought about it. "Actually, scratch that, I _definitely_ need to learn that first!"

The duo, realizing they were wasting time, ran out of the arena and looked for Tom as quickly as they could.

 _ **Lucitor Throne Room...**_

Tom got off his throne as soon as he saw Marco and Janna approaching.

"Let me guess, you need some glamour in order to hide your new look?" Tom asked, taking out and handing out a glamour potion to Marco before he could even respond. "I figured that would happen, so here you go."

"You actually have a glamour potion ready to go?!" Marco exclaimed in shock.

"Yup, and I've got a couple more where that came from," Tom answered with a slight tone of pride. "I had to create quite a couple of these things when Queen Moon-"

"No time for explanations, Tom-" Marco saw the label on the potion, which looked like a human with symbols on it's cheekmarks. "Actually, one should suffice: Why is this potion labelled with the image of a Mewman?"

"Because the potion is designed to shroud whoever drinks it in a Mewman disguise," the demon king explained. "Why? Did you need another type of glamour?"

"Yeah, a human one!" Janna exclaimed, flailing her arms up and down. "I need to look human so Mrs. Diaz doesn't freak out!"

"Marco's Mom?" Tom raised an eyebrow. "She seems like a very easygoing, open-minded woman, I don't think she'll take your new look that badly."

Marco and Janna exchanged worried looks, and the former spoke:

"You don't understand, Tom..."

 _ **Explanation...**_ **  
** _  
A younger Angie stood in the middle of a room that looked like the tower, watching as her arms were infected by the darkness._

 _"Before I was born, my Mother was infected with some kind of dark magic of unknown origin."_

 _Angie turned to and looked at a broken staff of sorts._

 _"The infection happened because she dropped a magical artifact that contained it, one she was supposed to deliver to Globgor, the king of monsters himself."_

 _The scene changed, now showing both Angie and Rafael speaking with Globgor, who looked concerned._

 _"They went to Globgor for aid, but while he agreed to train Mom to control the darkness, there was still one problem: The more negative emotions Mom felt, the more the darkness would take over, with a freak out spreading the corruption permanently."_

 _The image changed again, this time showing Angie's freakout yesterday._

 _"Mom had another freakout yesterday, for reasons I'd rather not reveal, and I can't help but feel she's nearing the point of no return."_

 _Angie was shown freaking out in a void, screaming as the darkness covered her completely._

 _"If she freaks out one more time, the darkness will completely take her over."_

 _"Angie" opened her eyes, revealing they were glowing a vivid red._

 _"And she'll turn not just into a monster, but a mindless beast who'll attack and destroy everything, with no other way to stop her than to end her misery."_

 _ **Back at the Present...**_

"That's why I need a human disguise, Your Majesty!" Janna exclaimed. "Otherwise, I'm going to lose the only Mother I've ever had!"

Tom frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

Janna looked at the ground somberly. "I never met my real parents. According to Mr. Candle, I was just a baby on a basket in his porch, with nobody else in sight. So he adopted, and he tried to look, but he never found my parents."

Tom narrowed his eyes with determination. "I can feel both of your pains, one way or another. I'll go look for the human glamour potion, while you check the library of spellbooks for a spell."

Marco and Janna nodded in agreement and the trio split up, beginning the glamour hunt.

 _ **Echo Creek Pier...**_

Jackie stood close to the edge of the docks, overlooking the ocean while Brittney waved her pom poms around.

"Okay, Jackie, I'm ready!" the cheerleader chirped, getting the skater's attention. "I'll be cheering for you, so just focus on channeling the magic!"

Jackie nodded with a concerned smile, then looked at her palms worriedly. She had never tried this before, what if something went wrong?

 _Go, Jackie, Go!  
Go, Jackie, Go!_

The skater flinched and turned to see Brittney was the source of the "song," which she continued to sing as she lifted her pom poms up and down:

 _Stay cool, nerves of steel!  
All you gotta do is feel!_

 _Stay calm, like the snow,  
Go along with the flow!_

 _Set this new path into motion,  
Gain the power of the ocean!  
_  
Feeling motivated by the quieky little tune, Jackie looked back at her hands and placed her palms close to each other before she closed her eyes and tried to channel the magic, all while the cheerleader captain repeated her song.

As she focused more and more, Jackie's hair waved in a graceful manner, her necklace started glowing with a navy blue light, and a navy blue, flowy sphere slowly manifested between her palms.

However, the sphere flickered, with Jackie groaning and gritting her teeth as she tried to stay focused, her hair becoming wilder and gaining light blue highlights in the process. However, as much as she tried, the sphere continued flickering, growing less and less visible with each flicker.

But then, Jackie took a deep breath, and the back part of her hair became purple as her forearms were covered in a light blue-ish... Thing, and the sphere started stabilizing.

Finally, Jackie parted her palms a bit and, as sword-shaped cheekmarks appeared, she opened her eyes to see her achievement: A sphere of water magic.

"Yay, Jackie, you did it!" Brittney chirped, before noticing Jackie's physical changes. "What's up with your hair, though?"

Jackie raised an eyebrow, then panicked as she spotted her arms. "Screw my hair, what's up with my arms?!"

The skater's cheekmarks disappeared as she started losing control of the sphere.

"You know what? This is a victory for both of us," Jackie threw the sphere at Brittney, who narrowly caught it. "Here you go, Brittney, let's share it!"

"And what the heck do you expect me to do with this?!" Brittney threw the sphere back at Jackie. "Just throw it away!"

Jackie shrieked and smacked the sphere, sending off into the ocean before it exploded, creating a rainbow in the sky as the water landed on the ocean.

With that done, Jackie looked at her arms as Brittney nervously approached her.

"What is this stuff?" Jackie pondered out loud. "And why are my arms just suddenly covered in it?"

Brittney gently pressed the covered spot, then came to a conclusion:

"It feels like some kind of metal."

"Metal?" Jackie looked at her arm. "But I've never worked with any metals before, why would my arms get covered in it now?"

Brittney rolled her eyes. "Well, you do have nerves of _steel_."

One annoyed look later, Jackie got on her skateboard with Brittney, and the pair rode away as Jackie stated:

"We need to see if Mrs. Diaz knows anything about this!"

 _ **Back at The Reformatory...**_

Meteora and Star were at the former's office, sitting at the table where Meteora usually did her headmistress stuff.

"So, the basic gist of the plan thought up by this "Brittney Wong" is that, some way, somehow, either you or her will convince Eclipsa to not only guide you to Globgor's temple, but also give you access to it," Star recapped in disbelief. "You're telling me, that the best plan she could come up with to get there, is to try to convince the single biggest human hater in all of Mewni to just show you the way inside?!"

The hybrid headmistress scratched the back of her head. "It's a work in-progress."

"No, fixing Mewni's current state after all the _bullshit_ we've been through is a work in-progress," Star slammed her fist down the table. "A human trying to get Eclipsa to give them a way into the temple is a carastrophe waiting to happen!"

Star rubbed her forehead. "Why would she even want to get anywhere near close to her, anyway? Both Eclipsa and I attacked the Diazes, and she did it _without_ being provoked! Surely, she'd want to stay as far away from her as possible, right?"

"Well, that would make sense if she _did_ see her, but I don't think she has," Meteora rested her chin on her palm. "Even so, I can see your point, but what else can we do?"

Star hummed. "Globgor has a key code to access the temple, right? Maybe he could teach it to someone."

"That still leaves the issue of how we'll get there: It's so high up you'd need to be able to fly or jump really far, and our schedules are full so we can't take her there ourselves," Meteora looked at the ceiling. "Granted, it wouldn't be that big of an issue if we knew anybody else who could fly..."

The Queens looked at the ground as they tried to think of somebody who could fly, and who didn't want their head on a silver platter.

This is when they remembered something: The kappas had wings. They could fly!

And there was only one kappa that Star could think of:

"Ludo!"

 _ **Meanwhile, Outside the Reformatory...**_

Mina Loveberry leaned against the wall, looking at the sky with a contemplative look. She folded her arms and took a deep breath as a memory flashed in her mind:

 _ **Hundreds of Years ago, the Diamond Court...**_ _  
_ _  
A younger Mina, looking less disheveled than the present and sporting cheekmarks shaped like bells, was dropped on the ground in front of the throne, where the first thing she saw once she looked up was a younger Moon looking down at her._

 _And she looked furious._

 _"Do you know what you've done?" Moon hissed as she stood up and walked towards Mina. "Do you have any idea, the kind of audacious atrocity you commited!?"_

 _"Start a rebellion because the council was treating us like garbage?" Mina guessed as she stood up and dusted herself. "Yeah, It's quite shocking. I mean, It's like the dozenth time this has happened, but It's still shocking itself-"_

 _Suddenly, Moon kicked Mina's knee and forced her to drop down and clutch it, with the Queen of Diamonds crouching down to Mina's level and growling:_

 _"Thanks to you and your rebellion, Celena is out of the picture. Is she dead? Alive? On vacation? Nobody knows, and it doesn't even matter: What matters is that the High Queen of Mewni is gone, and It's all because of you and-"_

 _"Oh please, don't act like you didn't like what you see," Mina growled. "You never even liked the High Queen herself!"_

 _"No, I didn't. I loathed her with every inch of my being," Moon narrowed eyes. "But that doesn't change the fact that without her, Mewni's lost It's most important matriarch. Without her, Mewni's vulnerable for the first time in eons!"_

 _Moon leaned closer to Mina until their noses touched._

 _"Without her, every single kingdom, village, or faction we've angered across the years will come looking to kill us all, and the only question was can ask, is when it will happen."_

 _Moon stood back up and snapped her fingers, prompting two burly Diamond guards to apprehend and lift Mina._

 _"What the underworld are you planning to do, Moon?" Mina sternly asked._

 _This earned the warrioress a slap from the queen. "That's Queen Moon for you, traitor!"_

 _Then, Moon's cheekmarks and fingertips started glowing. "As for what I'll do... You took away Mewni's most important leader... Now I will take something away from you."_

 _Moon eyed the cheekmarks, and Mina saw them as well, giving her an idea of what the queen was going to do._

 _So of course, she struggled to break free, to no avail._

 _"I'm sorry, Mina," Moon stretched her hand towards Mina, covering her face. "But you left me no choice."_

 _ **Back at the Present...**_

"Mina?"

Mina snapped back to reality to find Pony Head flying in front of her with a concerned look.

"Yo girl, you seemed to be spacing out a bit there," the sentient pony head smiled nervously. "Are you okay?"

"Well, I'm on a "date" with a woman who has an unhealthy obssession with me, at the school of the queen I tried to kill a long time ago, in a land I hold nothing but pure shame and disdain for," Mina explained, taking a deep breath before resting her chin on her palm. "I wish I could say I've been worse."

Pony Head went to the warrioress and looked at the sky with her, though it wasn't long before she grew bored of it.

"Seeing the sky while It's daytime Isn't as incredible as when It's nighttime, huh?" Pony Head asked. "Almost makes you wish it _was_ nighttime, right?"

"Yeah, keyword being almost," Mina walked to a bench and sat down. "I mean, as long as the big rock Moon's named after doesn't appear It'll be fine, but otherwise..."

Mina took a deep, sorrowful breath, and Pony Head soon got an idea.

"Hey, remember how we used to go on adventures, fighting monsters and discovering stuff, to clear our minds?" Pony Head flew to the warrioress. "How about we do that, minus the fighting monsters bit?"

Mina hummed, took a quick glance at the reformatory, then smiled as she got an idea.

Mina turned to a random bush and exclaimed, "Moon, get out of your hiding spot!"

The Queen of Diamonds jumped out of said bush, holding a pair of binoculars. "I'm not hiding anywhere!"

"Stop screwing around and come here!" Mina told the Queen. "I need your help with something!"

Moon leaped and landed right in front of Mina. "What do you need?"

Mina turned to Pony Head. "You still remember the invisibility spell?"

Pony Head smiled and nodded as her horn glew. And mere moments later, the three girls were close to the entrance to the school, just close enough so as to not be spotted by Arms, with Pony Head charging her horn as Mina started counting from three.

"Three... Two... One!"

At the signal, Pony Head enveloped the three in an invisibility spell, allowing Mina to grab both Pony Head and Moon and dash across the field without being noticed, successfully going past the dancing floor and reaching a lower level of the building just as the spell wore off.

"Okay, that should be it," Mina said as she released Pony Head. "Thanks for the help, Pony Head."

The sentient head winked and Mina tried to release Moon, but the queen was holding her quite tightly.

"Moon, we're past the danger zone, It's just a straight line from here," Mina stated sternly. "You can let go off my hand now."

Moon giggled and leaned her head against Mina's shoulder. "And what if I don't want to?"

Mina pinched the bridge of her nose. "Fine, but don't get too clingy with me."

Moon giggled again. "I make no promises."

The girls and Pony Head walked down the hallway, and a figure entered the area just in time to see them go deeper.

Who was this figure? Well, a certain Queen of Spades, perhaps.


	21. Hidden

**You know what? I think I might take a break from this story on this arc is finished, simply because I need time to actually finish the next arc without getting stuck in the process. And yes, this also has partially to do with the "double update" schedule.**

 **Anyway, as always, let's get to the reviews:**

 **1) Nobody245:**

 *** Fun fact: In this AU, Eclipsa once beared the family name "Murphy."**

 *** Let's just say that, besides making Tomco fans happy, the reason Marco and Tom act like that is because, along with Globgor, Tom played an important part in helping Marco live past his childhood.**

 *** Brittney Isn't helping the Mewmans, not in her eyes anyway: She's getting help from Meteora, a Mewnster, and Star, the only reasonable Mewman around. She's the one that needs help reaching the temple.**

 **And now, to the chapter!**

* * *

Back where we left off, Mina, Moon, and Pony Head continued walking down the long hallway deeper into the institution, Moon clinging to Mina while she covered her gem eye with her hand.

"Hey, Mina, is something the matter?" Pony Head inquired. You're grabbing your eye like it hurt."

"Because it does," Mina answered, briefly uncovering her gem eye to reveal it was glowing. "I don't know why, but it seems to be acting up."

"Your fragment? Well, they usually react when they're heading closer to a familiar place, or so I heard," Moon explained. "Maybe whatever's inside the fragment is remembering, and thus reacting to, the institution's lower levels?"

Mina scratched her chin. "Maybe..."

And then, the trio came to a stop, and found a large metallic door, one with the club symbols all over it.

"Okay, I guess this is a good place to start searching," Mina stated. "Moon, you know what to-"

"Hands in the air!"

Mina and Moon obliged immediately, while Pony Head looked at them in confusion, then just flew slightly higher.

"Turn around!"

The three obliged, and to their shock, they saw none other than Eclipsa standing nearby, aiming the middle and index finger of both her arms against the ladies. And Pony Head.

"Oh, h-hello there, Eclipsa!" Moon nervously greeted. "I, uh, this isn't what it looks like-"

"Oh really?" Eclipsa raised an eyebrow. "Because I think you're trying to sneak deeper inside my little Meteora's school in order find some sort of secret, which Mina has been sensing for a while now."

"Well dang, it actually is what it looks," Pony Head remarked.

"Eclipsa, listen to us, I know you don't trust me, but there's something on this school that's being kept secret from everybody! The princesses, the faculty, even Meteora herself!" Mina stated, earning a look from the Queen of the Void. "We need to find out what's hidden under this school!"

"You're the last person I'd expect to willingly try to repeat history, Mina," Eclipsa rolled her eyes. "You and Solaria went deeper into the Butterfly castle, found more than you bargained for, and started a rebellion because of it! Why would I allow you to search for anything deeper inside here, if there's the chance that you'll just start another rebellion all over again!?"

Just then, Mina got an idea:

"Why don't you come with us, then?"

Moon and Pony Head looked shocked at Mina, while Eclipsa raised an eyebrow and smiled bemused.

"You spent hundreds of years apart from your daughter. She was out of your watch, being fed both lies and truth, to the point she thought her caretaker, Festivia, was her actual mother," Mina explained with a smile. "You've spent who knows how long trying to make up for lost time, and yet, you still know little to nothing about your little girl."

Mina pointed at the door. "Behind this door is one of such secrets. And if you let us in, not only can you learn more about Meteora, but you can keep us from opening our mouths if we try to spill the beans."

Eclipsa scratched her chin, and after gaining a devious smile, she lowered her finger guns and barked at Moon:

"Open the door, Moon. We don't have time to waste, do we?"

 _ **Lucitor Castle, Tom's Bedroom...**_

Marco, Tom, Janna, and Mr. Candle reunited at the king's room, where Tom held the human glamour potion.

"Okay, I got the potion," Tom stated. "One sip of this thing, and Janna will look like a human for 24 hours."

"Before we test it though, we should have some precautions," Mr. Candle stated, before turning to Marco and Janna. "Did you find the spell that can work as a substitute?"

Janna took out a spellbook and opened it at the mentioned spell. "Yeah, the spell is named "Humani Glamo Metamorphi," apparently, and It'll work for 12 hours, or until the user cancels the spell."

"Those are great news," Mr. Candle extended his hand forward. "Now, let me see the spell, Janna."

The demonic human, however, turned to the book and watched it with a forlorn look.

And after a while, Marco asked, "Janna?"

"I'm sorry, It's just that, holding a book like this reminds me of the times I held Alfonzo and Ferguson's grimoire," Janna sighed in melancholy. "I wonder if they're doing okay. Anyway, here's the book."

Janna handed the spellbook to Candle... After the man struggled to take it off her hands, making her frown.

"Let's give this a shot," Mr. Candle looked directly at Janna as he shouted, "Humani Glamo Metamorphi!"

A couple seconds later, Janna was surrounded by a pink light that engulfed her completely, before it dissipated, revealing the girl looked just like she did before drinking Tom's blood.

"Oh my goodness, it worked!" Janna chirped, snatching the book from Candle. "We could use this as my main glamour, and save the potion for an emergency!"

"Assuming there's such an emergency in the first place," Marco chuckled. "Anyway, I think you should undo the spell now."

Janna raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because us demons have a bad reputation among humans, and we're used to it, so having a human gushing about us would be weird," Tom explained, rolling his eyes. "Now come on, undo it."

Janna obliged, undoing the glamour and returning to her "Discount Female Tom" look.

"Okay, now that you're demonic again, nobody should give you weird looks," Tom clasped his hands. "Now, let's see something I'm sure you'll enjoy."

Tom smirked. "The legends of my people."

Janna smiled wide with excitement, while Marco and Mr. Candle exchanged concerned looks.

 _ **Diaz Household...**_

Jackie and Brittney both sat on the couch as Mrs. Diaz checked Jackie's arms, with Mr. Diaz brushing Jackie's hair to comfort her.

"Hmm, so you were channeling magic, and when you opened your eyes and looked at your arms, they were covered in this metallic subtance?" Mrs. Diaz recapped.

"Yeah, and the back half of my hair turned purple," Jackie added. "Do you know anything about this?"

Mrs. Diaz looked at Jackie, then looked elsewhere. "Well, not the hair bit, but I do know what's up with your arms."

Angie stood up, and grabbed Jackie's hand with both of her own, she stated:

"You gained control of silver, sweetie!"

"Silver?" Jackie tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

"Silver" is the name given to one of many magical kind of liquid metal, which are metals that can be morphed in a way similar to liquids," Mr. Diaz explained, shooting a deadpan look at his wife before adding, "They're also called "Elemetals" by people with a love of bad puns."

Angie whistled and avoided eye contact.

"Those are great news, right, Jackie?!" Brittney chirped, putting a hand on Jackie's shoulder. "I mean, not only can you channel water magic, you can use silver too!"

"It's not all fun and games, girls," Mrs. Diaz sternly pointed out. "Sure, It's always nice to gain the ability to channel magic, but that doesn't change the fact magic is untrustworthy: A supernatural force that corrupts the user if mishandled."

Jackie looked back at her arms, and Mrs. Diaz crouched down and said:

"Jackie, right now, I think It's best that you don't practice any more magic, water or silver. The risk of corruption isn't worth it."

"I... I agree," Jackie sighed. "But what should I do now? I can't just come out with my arms covered in bandages like you, people are going to think I had an accident or something. And even with the arms taken care of, there's still the issue of my hair!"

"Stay calm, okay? We'll see what we do about it," Mrs. Diaz gently shushed the skateboarder. "For now, go rest in your bedroom."

"I'll keep you company," Brittney said as she grabbed Jackie's hand. "I was the one who pushed you to channel magic in the first place."

Jackie smiled, and the duo walked upstairs, leaving the parents alone. And once they were out of sight, Angie grimaced:

"It's just as I feared, her true heritage is starting to reveal itself! First the silver, then the hair, what next? Her skin color?!"

"Angie, calm down," Rafael put both hands on his wife's shoulders. "Otherwise the darkness will take you over!"

"Nah, don't worry, I already talked with Globgor, and he said that I'd need a massive freak out to be fully consumed by it," Angie sighed. "And besides, I'm talking about legitimate concerns here!"

"I know, but freaking out won't help anybody," Mr. Diaz folded his arms. "For now, let's get ready just in case somebody appears to-"

Angie put her hand over her husband's mouth. "Please, don't finish that sentence. It's too painful."

Angie wiped a tear off her face, and narrowed her eyes in determination:

"But you're right, Jackie's in more danger than before, and we must make sure no harm comes to her!"

 ** _Back with the B-Team..._**

Moon took out a hairclip from her hair and used it on the keyhole, successfully unlocking it after a while. Afterwards, she exchanged nods with the rest of the girls before she opened the door and went inside.

Once in, the women-and Pony Head-found themselves on a large room, with several interesting paintings decorating the walls and the ceiling, with each painting catching one of the girls' interests:

Pony Head flew up to the painting in the ceiling, depicting four shadowy figures, each resembling a past queen, hovering over the four fragments left behind by Celena.

"Huh, ominous and simplistic," Pony Head looked back at the ground. "But how many ladders did it take to paint this up here?"

For Mina, she walked towards the painting to the left side of the room. It depicted Solaria, a previous Queen of Mewni, and Mina, looking fairly similar to how she did in the present, leading a charge with several seemingly normal humans rushing behind them. And sadly, Mina easily recognized what the painting represented:

"The Loveberry Rebellion..."

Moon went to the painting of the opposite side. This one depicted a woman cloaked in shadows, bathing in the light of the Blood Moon, standing on top of a cliff overlooking several septarians that were running in sheer terror... Except for one sharp-dressed general, who stood still in defiance.

And Moon sort of recognized the cloaked woman. "Mom?"

Finally, Eclipsa walked to the picture right in front of the quartet, depicting a faint Solaria on the clouds, smiling while holding a baby, and a shadowy figure with a fiery head loomed above her. Underneath her was another woman, this one cloaked, holding a baby on her arms as well.

"Sister?" Eclipsa asked, only to notice a tome nearby. "There's a tome here."

The rest of the team gathered near Eclipsa as she read the tome out loud:

 _Among the darkness, a light will be born._

 _One whose existence, makes people conflicted and torned._

 _But within this light, lies the blessing of the sun._

 _And with the existence of their "siblings," they're not alone._

 _With them they shall bring the end of Mewni, to avenge us all._

 _So beware the child, with the name of Sol._

The quartet gasped and took a step back, with Eclipsa covering her mouth in sheer shock.

"Sol, as in, Sol Butterfly?!" Moon exclaimed. "I thought she was just a myth!"

"As far as we know, she still is!" Mina stated, trying to stay calm. "After all, we have no idea if Sol is the baby Solaria's holding, or the cloaked woman-"

"Or the baby the cloaked woman is holding?" Pony Head suggested.

Upon hearing that, the team turned to look at the mentioned baby, only for them to hear Arms' voice through a speaker:

" _Attention everybody, the final dance of the night is about to begin. Repeat, the final dance is about to begin_."

"We have to go back right now," Mina stated. "And in my case, get the heck out of here!"

"My horn's ready!" Pony Head stated as she charged said horn. "After all, if anybody sees Mina, they're gonna freak out."

"True, let's make haste!" Moon stated before turning to her fellow queen. "Eclipsa, are you coming?"

However, the woman didn't respond, she just kept staring at the baby while thinking:

" _How... How did I forget those_ _ _abominations existed?!__ "

Just then, Eclipsa was dragged by the neck by Moon as she and the rest of the team bolted back upstairs as quickly as they could.

 _ **Back at the Underworld...**_

Marco, Candle, and Janna followed Tom as he guided the humans to another part of his kingdom, one slightly farther away from the castle.

"Hey, Marco?" Janna blurted, getting the boy's attention. "Why do I have to remain demonic to not raise suspicion, but you can stay a human with no objections from King Tom?"

"Marco and Candle are two of my oldest companions: They're fairly well known in the underworld," Tom cracked his knuckles. "And everybody knows that, if they do anything to those I consider friends, then they'll have to answer to me!"

Janna pointed at herself. "Am I a friend?"

"No, you're more like the baby of the group, the one that needs everybody to look after so she doesn't get hurt," Tom scoffed. "Anyway, we're here."

The trio stopped, and found themselves in the entrance to some kind of museum, filled with several artifacts that quickly caught Janna's attention. And as she checked them, she said stuff like:

"Oh, what's that?!" at a large sword.

"That's the punishment sword," Tom explained. "A weapon made from the bones of demons who went against the law."

"And what's that?!" Janna chirped at the sight of an armor.

"That's Mom's old armor," Tom explained. "She used to wear it before turning into a giant behemoth."

"And what's this?!" Janna shouted, pointing at a massive, muscular figure.

Tom rolled his eyes. "That's my Mom."

The demonic human turned back to see the titanic demon woman looking at her with three glowing, piercing yellow eyes.

"Uh, hi, Queen Lucitor," Janna nervously greeted. "Sorry for thinking you were a relic of sorts."

After a couple more seconds of intense staring, the demon woman laughed and said something in an incomprensible language as she waved her hand.

"She says It's okay," Tom translated. "She wasn't taught how to speak English, right now, she's speaking Monster."

Marco raised an eyebrow. "Monster?"

Tom turned to the trio. "Yeah, monsterkind invented It's own language so that the mewmans would have a harder time getting information out of them."

"Wouldn't the mewmans just have to learn how to speak the language to counter that, though?" Candle inquired.

"Only Mewman who's ever done is Eclipsa, and she only did it out of interest in monster culture," Tom stated. "No other purebreed Mewman in existence has ever bothered to learn the language. But enough chit-chat, It's time for you to see our greatest legend."

Tom's Mom bid the team farewell, and they headed straight to the end of the museum, where Tom proclaimed:

"I present you, Sol, The Sun of Destruction!"

The team looked up, and saw a painting depicting Hekapoo holding a toddler up in her arms, a toddler that had some kind of sun-like ring behind him, and which was being venerated by demonkind.

"The Son of Destruction?" Marco blurted.

"No, Marco, It's _Sun_ of Destruction," Mr. Candle corrected.

Marco raised an eyebrow. "What did I say?"

"Son," Mr. Candle corrected.

"And what should I say?"

"Sun."

"That's what I said: Son of Destruction."

"No, Marco, It's _Sun_ of Destruction," Janna clarified.

"And what did I say?"

"Son."

"And what should I say?"

"Sun!"

"Oh..." Marco turned back to the Demon King, who looked seriously annoyed right now. "Tom, remind me what's up with this son of destruction-"

"Oh my Mom, Marco, take a hint!" Tom snapped, his eyes glowing red and his hair turning into fire as he shouted, "It's sun! S-U-N, not S-O-N! Now can we move along!?"

Marco, Janna, and Candle nodded, allowing Tom to explain the tale of this fabled "Sun of Destruction"...

 _ **Tale of Sol...**_

 _The scene depicted Celena dragging the members of the MHC through chains._

 _"Thousands of years ago, the Magic High Commission were defeated and enslaved by Celena, the Mewman High Queen."_

 _Then it changed to show a picture of Glossaryck... Which promptly turned to dust._

 _"Not only that, but their leader, and the only one able to stand up against Celena, Glossaryck, was gone for good."_

 _Another change happened, showing the commission helping the council of queens by force._

 _"For several centuries afterwards, they were put in the role of slaves for the Council of Queens, teaching the queens the ropes of their divine powers, while being treated like peasents, or worse, furniture, in return. This continued for years..."_

 _Next change showed the Loveberry Rebellion happening and approaching the council._

 _"Until both mewmans and humans joined forces to take out the High Tyrant, leading to the Loveberry Rebellion."_

 _Another change showed Celena, slowly cracking before outright collapsing into pieces, and the chains on the commission being undone._

 _"Celena was taken out, and the commission freed, but they knew that it was only a matter of time before the High Tyrant returned."_

 _Next scene showed the commission holding toddlers up high, with the toddlers being covered by blankets._

 _"And so, they fled, and blessed four children with a piece of their powers, each a beacon of hope for the tortured monster species, and bestowed with a magical name: Andromeda, Alcatraz, Thanatos, and Sol."_

 _The last change showed Hekapoo holding the toddler Sol in her arms, while looking at him with pride._

 _"Sol is the blessed child of Hekapoo, one born as a beacon of hope for demons, and with enough destructive power to annihilate Mewni on his own."_

 _ **Back in the Present...**_

"And that's all you need to know," Tom stated, clasping and rubbing his hands. "Everybody's been waiting for the arrival of Sol ever since the legend became public knowledge, hoping and praying for him to become the destroyer of Mewni that Hekapoo wanted him to be."

"But why would that be a good thing?" Janna pondered. "Won't the Mewmans just use that as an excuse to attack your kingdom?"

"Not if their armies have been wiped out as well," Tom smugly pointed out. "Sol will destroy everything: The city, the armies, even the monarchs themselves if necessary. He will save us all, by destroying everything about Mewni."

The humans exchanged concerned looks as Tom added, "But that's enough for today, let's get back to the castle and get Janna ready to go back home."

"Do I _have_ to go back?" Janna whined. "Wouldn't you be up for a sleepover?"

And as Tom, Janna, and Candle went back to the castle, Marco took another look at the picture, putting particular focus on the baby as he uttered to himself:

"The Sun of Destruction..."


	22. The Children

**Okay, I'm gonna go out and say it: This is the last chapter for this particular arc/Random-bunch-of-chapters-with-no-theme. Next chapter will begin the interlude to a new arc, one centered on everybody's favorite Sailor Moon cosplayer.**

 **Come to think of it, that does give me a little idea... But let's save that for later! For now, we gotta get this arc done with!**

 **As for how long the interlude will last... Dunno.**

 ** **Also, time to give some long overdue credit:****

 ** **Any of the fan queens mentioned in this story, as in, queens that aren't from canon, belong to jgss0109, who does tapestries about them on his Deviantart.****

 ** **I say this because, while the Urania queen and the other mentioned queens were accidents, the queen mentioned here was done on purpose, so I figured It's only fair to credit the person who thought up these wonderful characters. They're not the same, yeah, but still.****

 ** **Also, thanks for not blowing up in anger when I told you about it. XD****

 ** ** **But first, to the reviews!:******

 ** ** **1) Nobody245: You thought last lore was frightening, wait until you hear this one!******

 ** ** **2) Toepo: Marco/Tom were a thing in the past, and Pony Head and Star are just friends. Star doesn't need her to be anything else at the moment.******

 ** ** **3) Guest (1): I didn't expect to write it either.******

 ** ** **4) Guest (2): Who's Hekapoo's son, though?******

 ** ** **And now, to the chapter!******

* * *

 _ ** **Mewni Dungeons...****_

Mina sat down on her cell as Moon summoned the bars, then snapped her fingers, activating their "magic absorbing" abilities.

"I'm sorry that I have to put you back here, Mina, I really am," Moon said sadly. "But you are too dangerous to let roam freely, especially since you're still so strong, even without magic."

Mina just rolled her eyes in exasperation, which allowed Moon to quickly take a hint.

"Well, I'll-"

"Moon, before you go," Mina blurted, getting the Queen's attention. "Could you tell your husband to come meet me? I'd like somebody to talk to while I'm rotting away here."

"Oh, right, River! I don't think he even knows you're here," Moon smiled and nodded. "Sure, I'll let him know you want to see him."

Mina smiled a little. "Thanks, I really appreciate it."

Moon smiled in return and bid farewell... Only to find Higgs and Kelly waiting for her at the entrance of the dungeons.

"Your Majesty, Queen Eclipsa and Queen Meteora require your presence in the meeting room!" Higgs stated as she saluted the woman. "It's a matter of maximum priority!"

"But I need to go talk to River about something," Moon replied, scratching the back of her head.

"We can go do that for you, Your Majesty," Tad answered.

"What?!" Kelly squeaked, flinching at the suggestion.

"Splendid, I would really appreciate that!" Moon clasped her hands. "I'll go to the meeting room right away, please tell River that Mina wants to see him."

The Queen of Diamonds left the dungeons, and Higgs dragged Kelly with her as Tad tried to wake up the shocked the girl.

 _ **The Meeting Room...**_

Moon was teleported to the room, and found Eclipsa, Star, and Meteora talking with the Magic High Commission. And judging from Eclipsa's mere presence, things were going to get heated fast.

"You kept such dangerous entities hidden from us!" Eclipsa hissed. "The least you could do right now is help us find them!"

"So you can execute them like wild animals?!" Rhombulus growled.

"We won't execute them like that, we'll try to reason with them first-" Meteora replied.

"Hehe, how funny, you think by "wild animals," we're talking about the children," Omnitraxus chuckled, then narrowed his eyes. "We're not telling you anything, and that's final."

Moon sat next to her daughter. "What's going on?"

"Beats me, I came here to talk about Ludo's location, but then Eclipsa came out and got everybody into a discussion about something entirely different!" Star rolled her eyes in exasperation. "And worst of all, they don't let me say anything!"

Moon clapped her hands, making everybody shut up and turn to her as she sternly asked:

"What's going on?"

"Oh, nothing important," Eclipsa shot a glare at the commission. "Just calling out these pseudo-monsters for hiding such important information from us!"

Moon rubbed her temples. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the four worst people the commission could've kept hidden from us," Eclipsa hissed. "The four most dangerous entities in our known universe!"

The Queen of Spades leaned forward, and narrowing her eyes furiously, stated:

"I'm talking about, the Cursed Children."

 _ **Back with Kelly, Tad, and Higgs...**_

The soldier trio walked down the hallways as they headed to River and Moon's bedroom, with Kelly shivering as she gripped her weapon as hard as she could.

"Hey, Kelp, what's wrong?" Higgs asked. "You're usually only this shaky when we're sent on an errand or to battle."

"This is the first time I'll meet the King of Mewni himself!" Kelly answered. "Meeting Queen Moon was hard enough as it is, how am I supposed to greet the king without angering him?!"

"Don't worry, Kelly," Tad said as he patted the girl's head. "I'm sure King River is a nice, understanding guy."

Higgs laughed out loud, bringing the team to a stop.

"Were you made mere moments before you joined, Tad!?" Higgs snapped at the sentient bush. "King River is the one in charge of keeping a warmongering kingdom like Mewni intact! He hasn't survived this long by being a "Nice and understanding guy!" He's survived this long because he's the single strongest male Mewman alive!"

Then, the bush-haired pair noticed River approaching with a stern look, and they tried to gesture Higgs to shut up as she continued:

"Granted, even the strongest male Mewman is weaker than then weakest female Mewman, but the fact he's still alive and able to calm down the queen whenever she gets out of hand proves that he's not someone to be messed with! So, be very careful with what you say, otherwise-"

"Are you saying nonsense about me again?"

The redheaded squire shrieked and jumped so high, she reached the ceiling, which she clutched like a cat.

"Oh, g-greetings, Your Majesty!" Higgs said, looking at the king from up high. "H-How are you doing today?"

"I'm tempted to ask "How's the weather up there" just to cheer myself up, but you're not even worth it," River turned to Kelly and Tad. "As for you two, don't listen to what Higgs said."

"Y-Yes, Your Majesty!" Kelly answered, saluting the king as she explained, "A-Anyway, Mina Loveberry wishes to speak with you at the dungeons!"

River's frown turned into a wide smile. "Mina Loveberry?"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Tad stated. "She's currently incarcerated in the deepest level of the dungeons, and she would like to talk with you!"

"She's at the dungeons? Why did nobody tell me earlier?!" River put his hands behind his back. "Guide me to her right now!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Higgs dropped from the ceiling as Kelly and Tad guided the king towards the dungeons, with the redheaded squire joining them soon afterwards.

 _ **Back at the Meeting Room...**_

"The Cursed Children?" Star inquired, raising an eyebrow. "Who are those kids?"

"Well, they're none other than the poor victims of the manipulations of the Magic High Commission," Eclipsa answered with a smile. "Including your beloved Hekapoo."

Star looked at the fiery redhead, who avoided eye contact while sporting a regretful look.

"Allow me to explain..."

 _ **Story of the Cursed Children...**_

 _The chained Magic High Commission held a cloaked toddler on their arms, gently petting them as Eclipsa spoke._

 _"Sometime before the Loveberry Rebellion, the Magic High Commission, terrified of the prospect it wouldn't be enough to defeat Celena, prepared a backup plan in the form... The Cursed Children."_

 _The commission uncovered the toddlers._

 _"There are four such children: Each a potential beacon of mass destruction."_

 _The first child to be shown with attention was the one held by Hekapoo: He sported chalk white skin, and Brown hair at the front, and a redheaded ponytail on the back._

 _"The cursed child of Hekapoo: Sol, the Sun of Destruction."_

 _Next was Rhombulus' child: She had green-ish skin and pale blue hair that ended with crystal-shaped highlights._

 _"The cursed child of Rhombulus: Alcatraz, the Warden of Eternity."_

 _Next, Omnitraxus' child: Her skin looked like a sentient galaxy, and she wore the skull of an unspecified creature._

 _"The cursed child of Omnitraxus Prime: Andromeda, the Living Galaxy of Conquest."_

 _The last one was Lekmet's child: She had fur covering her skin, and horns at the side of her head, pointing downwards._

 _"And finally, the cursed child of Lekmet: Thanatos, the Reaper of Mortality."_

 _The commission put their fingers on the kids' heads, each glowing a respective color._

 _"These four kids were bestowed with a fragment of the Magic High Commission's power to serve as both their surrogate children, and living weapons to regain control of the universe."_

 _Next, the image changed, showing the commission, still chained mind you, teaching the kids._

 _"From the shadows, the commission taught the children how to control the weaker variations of their own powers, while also making sure that no matter what, the children would remain loyal to them."_

 _Another change happened, this one showing the commission waving their hands in front of the kids, and leaving them on Earth before leaving as well._

 _"After the rebellion, the children were put on a deep slumber, where their memories of their cursed childhoods were erased, allowing them to live a normal life."_

 _Finally, slightly older versions of the kids were shown, each having the figure of their respective commission member looming over them._

 _"But with the commission growing desperate again, they just need to reawaken the children, and gain their trust, so they can obtain total control over existence once more."_

 _ **Back in the Present...**_

"And that's all you need to know about the cursed children," Eclipsa stated. "I know it must hurt to discover Hekapoo could do such a thing, but remember: The commission operate on a moral level different than us. What's a good thing to them, isn't necessarily good to us."

Star frowned as Eclipsa asked, "So, any questions, Star?"

The Queen of Hearts looked elsewhere and shook her head, all while Moon looked at her with worry.

"Alright then, just what I was hoping to hear," Eclipsa clasped her hands. "Now, Commission..."

The Queen of the Void smirked deviously as she turned to the High beings and asked:

"Any questions?"

"Yeah, why did you say all of that stuff despite the fact we're here?" Rhombulus asked, with Lekmet nodding in agreement. "I mean, if you want to make a plan to kill them, that's fine, except not really, but shouldn't you try to keep the people who blessed those kids out of this plan?"

"Cut her some slack, guys," Omnitraxus remarked. "You know how badly Celena screwed her up."

"I'm gonna cut her something, alright, but it won't be slack," Hekapoo hissed. "It has to be something she deserves."

"Silence! Point is, you didn't bless any children, you _cursed_ them!" Eclipsa yelled, giving the commission the pointer finger. "And what's worse, you were fully conscious that you were cursing them! You're the bad guys here and you know it!"

"Ugh, this "good and evil" nonsense again," Hekapoo rubbed her temples in frustration. "We already told you, we're above a concept like good and evil, just as how you're above a concept like common sense."

Eclipsa aimed her palm at Hekapoo and shot a purple energy blast at her, only for the interdimensional redhead to nonchalantly smack it away, blowing open a hole in the wall nearby.

"Eclipsa, what the underworld was that for!?" Star snapped, getting the queen's attention. "I know you're angry, but-"

"Quiet, Star!" Eclipsa yelled. "You're not part of this discussion!"

"Come to think of it, why are you still here, Star?" Rhombulus asked. "I thought you'd be training with the spirits of the past queens."

"Those are nothing more than shallow AI that barely resemble the real deal," Star shrugged. "Besides, I have something important to discuss as well."

"And what is that?" Hekapoo inquired.

Star took a deep breath, and stated with a serious tone:

"My legitimacy as the Queen of Hearts."

The whole room went silent, until Eclipsa raised an eyebrow and asked, "Seriously?"

"I'm being serious!" Star replied. "While I was on Earth, a troll said the Queen of Hearts on Mewni hasn't been elected yet, and when I told them my name, they said there was no such Mewman!"

"Right, and you're going to trust a random troll's word rather than the word of your fellow queens?" Eclipsa scoffed in disbelief. "You're the Queen of Hearts, plain and simple. So what if a troll decided to be ignorant about it?"

"But the way they said it made me wonder what they meant!" Star clasped her hands. "Please, you have to believe me!"

"Star, It's not that we don't believe you, It's just that our priorities are a bit different from yours," Moon explained as she brushed her daughter's back for comfort.

"Yeah, I mean, a group of children capable of making mewmanity extinct?" Eclipsa remarked, before raising her arms as high as she could, Very high on the list!"

"Legitimacy on a Queen that hasn't been alive for even a century?" Meteora lowered her arm and placed it on the table. "Not so high, sadly enough."

Star frowned. "But-"

"Star, your legitimacy as Queen of Hearts is not something we can waste time on right now!" Eclipsa sternly stated. "If you want to find out the truth so much, then go and find it yourself!"

"Eclipsa!" Moon snapped at the Queen of the Void before turning to her daughter. "Star, please don't listen to her! S-She's just stressed because of-"

"No, Mom, Eclipsa's right," Star stated. "Those children she talked about, whether they're blessed or cursed, are a much bigger concern than my legitimacy."

Star gently pushed her Mother's hand away. "This is something personal for me, so I have to find out the truth. By myself."

The dubious Queen of Hearts left the room, slamming the door shut as Moon turned back to Eclipsa, and shot a red-eyed glare at her.

"Glare at me all you want, Moon. We both know two things: I'm stronger than you with or without your connection to that dead Great Magical One, and I'm right," Eclipsa sternly answered before turning to Omnitraxus. "Now, Omnitraxus, show us the location of these cursed children of yours!"

"You really are nuts if you think you're in a position to demand anything," the sentient galaxy scowled. "I can show you the dimension they're at right now, but not their exact location."

Eclipsa flinched. "What?! But-"

"Blood related or not, we still consider those kids our children," Rhombulus added, folding his arms. "We can give you hints on where they are, and you can threaten us all you want, but we're not going to let you hurt them!"

"They're a bunch of living weapons of mass destruction!" Eclipsa snapped, slamming both her fists down the table. "Mewni, The Underworld, The Kappa Kingdom, Septarsis, every dimension is in danger as long as they live!"

"Right, because that statement doesn't fit mewmanity as well?" Hekapoo scoffed. "Let's be honest here: Mewmans have been magical warmongers ever since Celena created the first Mewman. It's been nearly five thousand years since you came to being, and a thousand years since Celena left, and you still can't put an effort to stop making enemies after enemies."

"And you should know that better than anybody else, Mom," Meteora added.

"Whose side are you on!?" Eclipsa snapped at her daughter, before turning back to the commission. "As for you, fine, show us the dimensions they're at right now."

The Queen of Spades narrowed her eyes. "But don't think that just because they're your "children" that I will go easy on them. Each legion will send a group to hunt the child, and they won't come back until they've managed to kill them!"

"Oh, Eclipsa, sweet little Eclipsa," Hekapoo leaned closer to the Queen of the Void and scoffed, "Just because you're the Queen of Nothing, doesn't mean your threats should be just as empty."

Eclipsa gritted her teeth and growled, with Moon and Meteora worrying this might lead into another fight...

 _ **Back at the Dungeons...**_

River followed Higgs, Tad, and Kelly to Mina's cell, where they got quite a shock when the legendary warrior and the king stared at eachother for a while...

Then shook hands and laughed out loud.

"Mina "Loveberry"! It's been such a long time!" River remarked cheerfully. "I haven't seen your face since the post-war corn syrup ceremony at the Forest of Certain Death last year!"

"Dude, I could've sworn I was kissing a mermaid, not a kappa!" Mina chuckled. "Although, let's be real, you making out with that hydra was the best part of that damn ceremony!"

"And the same could be said about you mimicking Moon," River snickered. "I almost thought she actually came!"

And as the duo continued talking, the soldiers looked at the scene with sheer disbelief.

"This... Is unreal," Tad blurted. "I thought Mina was a war criminal loathed by everyone?"

"So did I," Kelly shrugged. "But oh well, I guess even _she_ has friends."

Kelly looked at the ground somberly. "I wish we had friends."

Higgs snapped to the bush-haired couple. "You have me!"

Kelly and Tad threw a stern "are you serious?" look at Higgs, prompting the squire to shut up.

Upset at this, Higgs turned to the duo and yelled "Hey!"

"Um, do you mind?" Mina replied as she and River looked sternly at the guards. "We're in the middle of a conversation here!"

"Come to think of it, how about you two leave us alone?" River requested, waving his hand at the duo. "I'm sure you got important things to do elsewhere."

Higgs almost said something in response, but was stopped by Kelly, who covered her mouth as she and Tad shook their heads. With that done, Higgs threw an angry look at Mina, then left with the bush-haired couple.

"Good to know that most legion soldiers still lack respect for former warriors," Mina quipped. "Makes me feel less guilty over abandoning Mewni."

Then, the warrioress leaned closer and frowned. "Now, speaking more seriously, I need your help with something, River."

The king raised an eyebrow. "What do you need?"

Mina looked to her left and right to see if there was anybody else nearby, and seeing nobody, she lifted the lock of hair covering her gem eye, and revealed it to River.

"You're the Ace of-?!"

Mina quickly shushed the king, reminding him to keep quiet.

He nodded and whispered, "You're the Ace of Clubs? How's that even possible?"

"It's a long story, but basically, I got the thing from a septarian," Mina hastily explained, also in whispers. "Listen, while sneaking around at the reformatory, the gem started acting up, which makes me think that the key to getting rid of this rock is there."

"And why would you want to get rid of the fragment?" River inquired. "I thought that as long as the fragments exist, Celena will never return?"

"Bah, that Celena always planned ahead of anything: Destroyed or not, the fragments won't affect whether she returns or not," Mina rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I need to reach the reformatory again, but I need help for that."

And as they continued talking, a camera looked down and started recording them, with the video feedback reaching a room filled with several monitors, each showing a different video feed...

And Gemini and Arms were standing right in front of the monitors, watching the scene with stern looks.

 _ **Meanwhile, with Star...**_

The dubious queen walked down a hallway, heading towards a room when she was met with a familiar face: Pony Head.

"Heya, girl, I'm back!" Pony Head greeted, oblivious to Star's serious look. "Sorry for going missing for a while, there were some things I had to do and-"

"It doesn't matter, Pony Head," Star stated sternly. "What matters is that I need you right now."

Noticing the change from the Star she knew, Pony Head frowned, "Is something wrong?"

Star narrowed her eyes. "That's what I'm going to find out."

The pair eventually reached the archives, which was being guarded by two guards, a man and a woman.

"Greetings, Queen Star," the male guard greeted, bowing down before asking, "Uh, "The Beheader" was your title, right?"

Star's furious glare was all the answer the guard needed.

"Hey, Isn't that what the Lucitor family named you as after the wedding disaster?" Pony Head inquired, again oblivious to Star's rising rage. "I'm legitimately asking here, I don't remember much from that event."

"And for your sake, you better keep whatever you remember to yourself!" Star yelled at Pony Head, before pointing at the guards, mostly the male one. "As for you..."

Seeing both guards were terrified, Star clasped her hands, took a deep breath, then forced an uneasy smile.

"Listen, Mr. Nameless Generic Guard, I need to see something in the archive room real quickly," Star explained, trying to maintain a cheerful façade. "So, if you could step aside and let me in, that would be good."

"Sorry, Your Majesty, but we can't let you in," the woman guard answered. "Your Mother explicitly said-"

Star faced the woman guard with a stern look, and asked, "Speak when spoken to, lady."

The woman guard flinched and looked elsewhere, staying silent as Star turned back to the other guard and stated:

"Listen, from what we can both see, there's only two ways this can go: You either keep getting in my way, and die by my hand, or you let me in, and die by my Mom's hand."

Star put her arms behind her back and leaned back as she chirped:

"The choice is yours!"

From her spot, Pony Head glanced at Star's back and saw the queen was slowly taking off her gloves and charging her energy. She then turned back to the guards, who exchanged looks before they moved aside, allowing the girls to go in.

Pony Head went first, while Star stopped, turned to the male guard, and pinched his cheek... With her uncovered arm, with the man screaming as his cheek withered and Star said:

"Thanks for your cooperation."

With that said, Star went inside and closed the door, only to be met by Pony Head's stern look afterwards.

"That was messed up, B-Fly," the sentient pony head stated. "Like, Spades-level messed up!"

"I know, but I couldn't let him get away with insulting me," Star stated as she covered her arm. "Whether I'm the legitimate Queen of Hearts or not, I'm still acting like it and the people of Mewni believe it, so I _have_ to dish out punishment to those who don't treat me with the respect I deserve, whether I like it or not."

"And what about all the non-Mewmans that disrespect you?" Pony Head pointed out. "You never do anything about _them_!"

"Because that's what the rest of the queens, _especially_ Eclipsa, are for," Star quipped with a sardonic tone. "Anyway, let's start looking for the document."

"Fine," Pony Head rolled her eyes. "I'll check the bunch of documents over there, and you'll check the other bunch of documents."

"We don't need to check every document, Pony Head," Star remarked as she walked towards the history section. "We just need to search the ones about the history of Mewni."

"Uh, B-Fly, that's still one heck of a long history, you know?" Pony Head flew to the queen's side. "It could take a while before you find anything useful."

Star immediately noticed a peculiar document among the bunch, so she took it and checked the date.

"Aha!" the Queen exclaimed with a hopeful tone. "This document was written 30 years ago!"

Pony Head raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, so?"

"It seems to be about the establishment of the current council," Star slowly opened the document. "It has both the titles and names of the queens that make up the council members."

Star and Pony Head looked at the writing... And they both gasped in shock as what they read revealed the truth. Pony Head's jaw fell open, while Star's cheekmarks literally started cracking, making the sentient pony head worry.

"W-Whoa there, girl, c-calm down!" Pony Head leaned closer and smiled nervously. "L-Look at the bright side! Y-Yeah, the other queens might kill us once they find out we saw this, and your life might've been a lie up until now, but... Uh... Ugh, there has to be something positive about this!"

Star's cheekmarks fully cracked, and started falling apart as the queen started shedding tears, saying:

"I'm not the Queen of Hearts..."

Then, realizing something, she narrowed her eyes and wiped off her tears as her cheekmarks recovered, and turned into shields with a heart symbol on them.

"But she must be out there somewhere!"

Growing determined at her new objective, Star took the document and headed to her room, where she put on her battle armor while Pony Head flew nearby, looking worried.

"Um, B-Fly, I'm not one to talk, but whatever you're planning to do, are you sure It's a good idea?" the sentient pony head asked. "I mean, legitimate or not, you still have-"

"Nothing, Pony Head! Nothing! No legion, no armies, not even respect from other people, and now I understand why!" Star snapped, sheathing her sword as she added, "I don't know why they pulled a Festivia-Meteora on me, but I'm not going to wait hundreds of years to find out why!"

With her goal clear, Star stomped her way out of her room, with Pony Head frowning as her best friend left.

On her way out, Star walked across the meeting room, where everybody noticed her armor.

"Star, where are you going?!" Moon exclaimed.

Before she even said anything in response, Star revealed the document to her Mother, stating:

"I'm not the Queen of Hearts."

Moon grabbed the document and read it out loud:

 _We hereby declare the current council to consist of Moon the Undaunted, Meteora the Disciplined, Eclipsa the Void, and..._ _Febe_ _the Red._

"Whoever that Febe is, she's the _real_ Queen of Hearts, and I'm not going to stay here and live the life _she's_ supposed to have!"

Star aimed her palm at a wall and shot an energy blast that morphed into a portal soon after.

"So I'm going to look for her, and I'm not coming back until I find her!"

"Star, wait!" Moon grabbed her daughter's arm. "Think about this more carefully: If what Eclipsa said is true and the children are rising, then we need you more than ever!"

"No, you don't, you need Febe!" Star yanked herself free from Moon's grasp. "Put your faith on the real deal, not on a cheap replacement!"

Star frowned. "That's what you've been doing all this time, after all."

Moon flinched and took a step back, watching as Star jumped through the portal, which closed soon afterwards.

As for Star, she landed in the middle of a very familiar urban dimension: Earth, where she overlooked the city of Echo Creek as she stated:

"I'm going to find you, Febe. No matter what it takes."


	23. Quest For Febe

**Hi everybody, I know I said I would take a break, but I felt like posting one more chapter before the break.**

 **And besides, I can also tell you that I'm going back to single updates on Fridays, because double updates will be the freaking end of me.**

 **Before we go on, I'd like to apologize for the supposed "war" between Mewni and Globgor I've been hinting at for a while now, not happening yet.**

 **You see, unlike in what we can presume to be canon, Globgor in this story is a lot more patient (You kinda have to be in order to deal with the likes of Eclipsa and C-I'm gonna stop there.)**

 **Simply put, it takes a lot to anger the King of Monsters enough for him to launch a war. And he prefers to have an actual reason for going to war, rather than do it on a whim.**

 **That's what a Mewman would do, after all.**

 **What could tip him off, you may ask? Well, maybe something involving one of his children, perhaps?**

 **But let's get to the reviews already:**

 **1) Nobody245:**

 *** Should I assume you think you know who she is in this story? Therefore, the twist is ruined?**

 **And now, to the story!**

* * *

Back where we left off, at the meeting room, Moon paced back and forth after Star had left, the remaining Queens and MHC watching her as she walked.

"There has to be something we can do!" Moon exclaimed. "We can't just stand here and wait for her to come back on her own!"

"You think I _want_ to stand still and do nothing, Moon!?" Eclipsa snapped, standing up and slamming her fists down the table. "I care about Star as much as you do, but we don't have the ability to open portals to other dimensions like she does! She could've gone anywhere!"

Moon narrowed her eyes, which turned red. "Even a dimension populated by humans?"

Eclipsa flinched, but quickly shook her head and stated: "Playing with my justified hatred of maginuchs won't make me quit focusing on the bigger issue at hand!"

And as the Queen of Spades and Diamonds continued to argue with eachother, Meteora looked at her palms, and clenched her fists. She then walked to Hekapoo and asked:

"Hekapoo, can I speak with you in private?"

The scissors master nodded, and the Two of Clubs duo left the meeting room and walked down the hallway as Hekapoo spoke:

"I know what you're thinking, but believe me, there's no point in it."

"Hekapoo, you taught me the same kind of magic Star used to conjure that portal," Meteora stated, clenching her fists. "I could gather up some guards and send them go looking for her-"

"Meteora, remember: The location the portal sends the user is directly tied to the user's goal," Hekapoo threw a raised eyebrow at the hybrid. "And with a goal like "Find the real Queen of Hearts," she could've gone anywhere."

Meteora frowned. "I know, but still-"

"But nothing, Meteora," Hekapoo rebutted. "Your plan's too risky, and you know it."

The Queen of Clubs lowered her head, and both women stopped, allowing Hekapoo to ask:

"Meteora... After what your Mother said... Do you still trust me?"

The Queen of Clubs looked back at the redhead, smiled, and nodded. "Of course I do."

"Look, if you'd just let me explain-" it took Hekapoo a second or two to realize what the woman said. "Wait, you do? Why?"

"Oh, please, I know better than anybody else that Mom's got a few screws loose," Meteora chuckled. "And besides, I too tried to destroy Mewni once, so who knows, maybe I used to be "Sol" at some point!"

"Yes, used to," Hekapoo closed her eyes. "But not anymore."

Meteora raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Back then, you were my candidate to become Sol," Hekapoo shook her head. "But as soon as Celena dealt with you, I had to change my plans."

Meteora, now putting two and two together, crouched down, met the redhead face-to-face, and asked with a serious tone:

"Then... Who is the new Sol?"

 _ **Meanwhile, with Star...**_

The fake queen walked down the forest as she headed towards the city of Echo Creek, being so caught up in her mind, she didn't even notice the yellow eyes looking at her.

"Okay, Star, you got to stay focused," the fake queen told herself, clutching the document tightly. "First thing you need to do is find some allies to help you search for Febe."

The image of the people of Mewni rioting against the council appeared on Star's head as she said:

"And asking any Mewmans for help, whether they're peasents or part of a legion, is _definitely_ out of the question."

Star scratched her chin and closed her eyes as she thought about it:

" _Maybe I could go see if Ludo's nearby? I'm pretty sure he said he was moving to Earth to-_ "

Before she could finish, the girl crashed against a tree close to a pond, returning her back to reality.

"Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure the merchant-I mean, Marco-told me that going out at night to the forest was dangerous," Star scratched her head. "But what was the thing that made it dangerous in the first place?"

While the fake queen thought about it, a figure rose from the pond, It's lanky, yet tall frame allowing It's shadow to fully loom over the Mewman, who was still none the wiser.

"Huh? I thought it was night already, why is it getting darker?" Star then noticed something. "And why does this look like a... Monster's shape..."

The figure hissed and leaned closer to the queen, who narrowed her eyes and slowly reached for her sword, before she swung it at the beast, making it recoil in pain.

Now bathing in the moonlight, the Not-Queen of Hearts saw the beast was a monstrous kappa that reminded her of a certain someone:

"Ludo?!"

 _ **Meanwhile, at the Diaz Household...**_

Marco was doing his night guard shift, using his flashlight around the museum to protect the available artifacts.

During his third or fourth time walking around, however, he stopped, turned to face the septarian finger on display, and walked closer to it as he said to himself:

"It's been years since we got the finger. We already know who owned it, so why hasn't he-"

Just then, Marco seemingly heard a scream from away, and he looked outside the window to see where it came from. However, he saw nothing, and all he could really get when he heard the scream again was that it came from the forest.

Which was enough for him to narrow his eyes as he cracked his knuckles... Then started writing a note.

 _ **Back With Star...**_

The fake queen blocked the monstrous Ludo's swings at her with her sword, looking rather distraught as she waited for a moment to attack.

Eventually the moment came, and the girl swung her sword at Ludo, making him back away in pain and leaving a small scar on his chin.

Just as the kappa looked angrily at the fake queen, however, Marco came out of nowhere and kicked him right in the face, with enough force to send him crashing on a tree.

"Marco!" Star exclaimed in relief. "What are you doing here?!"

"I heard someone screaming over here, and being a safe kid, my first instinct was to go help them out," Marco sternly explained. "Now, why are _you_ here?"

Star scratched the back of her head and smiled sheepishly. "It's a long story-"

Suddenly, Ludo got up and pushed Marco away, leaving the princess to hold back the monster with her sword.

"Come on, Ludo, I know you're there!" Star exclaimed, trying to get the monster to listen. "I'm Star Butterfly! We agreed to a truce years ago, remember?!"

Hearing the girl call the monster's name surprised Marco. "You know him?!"

"He's Ludo, a kappa from the Kappa Kingdom, and one of the few monster allies Mewni has," Star hastily explained as she slowly overpowered the monstrous kappa. "But he looks completely different than I remember him!"

The fake queen won the struggle and sent the kappa closer to the pond, where Marco kicked him straight into the water before returning to Star's side.

"What happened to him?" Star asked with a mixed tone of concern and shock.

"Isn't it obvious? He was corrupted into a monstrous form, although the only person I know who can induce that is... Marco explained, putting his hands on his pockets as he stared at the pond intently. "Anyhow, the only way we can revert him back to normal is by beating the corruption out of him."

Star threw an "Are you serious?" look at Marco, prompting him to explain, "I mean, we need to knock him out-"

"I _know_ what you're talking about!" Star snapped, rubbing her arm and looking elsewhere as she added, "I'm throwing you the look 'cause you're implying we're gonna work together!"

Marco blinked twice. "We will."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Star scratched the back of her head. "I mean, don't you still hate me?"

"No, I'm _uneasy_ with the idea of being friendly with you," Marco answered, without noticing some bubbles coming out of the pond. "We don't need to be friends to work together, one just need to hand out orders and the other needs to follow them."

"Okay, I get it, I think," Star sighed and put her sword behind her head. "You got a plan?"

Marco looked elsewhere. "Um, this is the part where you try to take charge of the situation, you know?"

Star narrowed her eyes. "Do I look like Eclipsa to you?"

The boy went silent for a second, then blurted, "Who's Eclipsa?"

Without warning, the corrupted Ludo jumped out of the pond and got on all four, scanning the duo before he screeched and ran away towards the city.

"I think we scared him," Star frowned. "Come on, we gotta follow him!"

Marco nodded and followed Star to Echo Creek, chasing after the trail left by Ludo.

 _ **Diaz Household...**_

Angie remained asleep as her husband shook her as hard as he could, shouting:

"Honey, wake up! You need to get up right now!"

Angie remained asleep, until Mr. Diaz exclaimed:

"Marco's gone!"

Mrs. Diaz immediately woke up and jumped off her bed, staring at Rafael as he explained:

"I went to work my shift as a night guard, and I saw Marco had left! He left a note and everything!"

Rafael handed Angie the note, and she read it to herself:

 _Dear Mom and Dad,_

 _I had to go out save someone from a monster attack. I think._

 _Love and kisses, Marco._

The woman nearly crumbled the note to pieces before the phone in the room rang, catching her attention in an instant.

So the woman answered the call. "Hello?"

"Inspector Diaz, there's a Mewman in Echo Creek!"

Angie's eyes opened wide, and she narrowed them as she growled:

"Where?"

 _ **Echo Creek Square...**_

Ludo continued running until he jumped and landed on the top of a lamppost, with Marco and Star arriving just in time to see him apparently howl at the moon.

"Are you sure your friend's a kappa, Your Highness?" Marco raised an eyebrow. "'Cause I'm starting to get werewolf vibes from him right now."

"Well, back on Mewni, all monsters do howl at the moon once in a-" Star slapped herself. "We don't have time for lore exposition!"

Star turned to Marco. "Got any ideas?"

Marco hummed. "Well, are kappes particularly tough or resistant to pain?"

Star shook her head.

"Hmm... If we can hit him really hard in either the head or stomach, that should be enough to knock him out," Marco scratched his chin. "How does this sound: I'll catch and throw him right into the ground, and while he's stunned, we elbow him as hard as we can?"

Star frowned. "Sounds like a plan, but I'm not going to enjoy hurting him. Also, how are you going to catch him anyway."

Marco smiled with confidence. "Just watch."

The boy went a little closer to the lamppost, then took out his ponytail, which extended long enough to let him use it as a lasso to capture Ludo.

"A sentient ponytail?!" Star shouted in disbelief. "What kind of evolution did humanity go through?!"

"The ponytail's from my monster side!" Marco exclaimed.

Star smiled sheepishly. "Okay, that makes more sense!"

Marco started pulling. "Okay, I'll try to-"

However, Ludo simply jumped off the post and started running around, easily dragging Marco along with him, with Star chasing after them.

As he ran, Ludo jumped all over the place, with Marco crashing on the spot the kappa landed at just as he jumped again.

And of course, Star shouted the obvious:

"Marco, let him go!"

"Don't worry about me, Your Highness!" Marco shouted back. "You try to get ahead and wait for him to get closer!"

The fake queen hesitantly nodded and sped up, letting her land right in front of Ludo's next spot, allowing her to push the monster into the ground as she morphed her sword into a hammer.

Just as she swung, however, Star's attack missed as Ludo got up and swung Marco's ponytail at the Mewman, causing both Marco and Star to crash into eachother, face-first.

Then, without giving them time to recover, Ludo broke through Marco's ponytail, grabbed it, pulled Marco towards him, then grabbed his head and held him by his neck as he moved the ponytail closer to his beak, opened it to reveal sharp teeth...

Then chomped it in half, with the severed halves bleeding a black, ink-like liquid as Marco screamed at the top of his lungs in agonizing pain.

A scream that was heard all the way to the Diaz household, waking up the girls.

"Marco?!" they exclaimed in unison.

With the boy practically incapacitated, Ludo kicked Marco, sending him flying straight into a wall, where the boy slid down to the floor, the ink-like blood from his severed ponytail staining the wall in the process.

And as soon as the guy opened his eyes, whatever he could make out from his blurry vision made it clear Star was next to him, and Ludo was running away.

"Marco, are you okay?!" Star exclaimed as she shook the boy.

Marco retracted whatever remained of his ponytail, returning his vision back to normal. "Ludo's escaping! Go after him!"

Star frowned. "But you're injured!"

"Don't worry about me, I just need to rest," Marco put his hands on Star's shoulders. "And you need to get that Ludo back to normal!"

Star nodded, and left the guy to rest as she leaped as high as she could, and landed right in front of the fleeing kappa, stopping him right on his tracks.

"Listen, Ludo, I don't know if you're there or not anymore," Star stated as she morphed her sword into a hammer. "But please, if you're there, don't hate me for what I'm about to do!"

Star aimed her palm at the kappa and shot a pink webbing that covered the kappa up to his head, leaving the monster unable to move.

Then, Star touched her hammer, making it grow twice it's size. And without hesitation, the fake queen lifted the hammer high, and swung it down right on top of Ludo's head, with the hit being strong enough to leave some cracks on the floor underneath him.

Ludo's head didn't turn into a pile of gore, though. Weird.

Anyway, now unconscious, Star aimed her palm and absorbed the webbing back as Ludo turned back to his original form.

And just in time too, since Marco arrived soon afterwards.

"Wow, his true form's a lot less ugly to look at," Marco remarked, retracting his ponytail as he took a closer look at the kappa. "He's still pretty ugly, though."

Star gritted her teeth, but the sounds of police sirens stopped her from saying anything.

"The police are coming?!" Marco exclaimed, putting both hands on his cheeks. "How long was I out?!"

Star handed the kappa to Marco. "Doesn't matter, just please, take Ludo back to the forest!"

The boy tilted his head. "What about you?"

"I'll see if I can reason with them," Star turned Marco around and pushed him. "Don't worry about me, just go!"

Marco ran for a little bit before he took a look at the queen from afar, who yelled at him to go, startling the guy into obliging.

And once he was gone, the fake queen took a deep breath and tried to think of-

"Don't move, or we'll shoot!"

Star raised her arms as she scanned her surroundings, seeing several cops aiming straight at her, and no way out of the current dilemma.

"L-Listen," Star slowly lowered one arm. "I-I can explain-"

Suddenly, a gunshot was heard, and Star screamed as she fell to her knees and looked at her palm, only to find out it had been pierced by the bullet.

"Hey, what's that for!?" Star yelled at the police. "I just wanted to try explain myself!"

"Everybody, keep your aim on the Mewman!" a female cop ordered through a megaphone. "And you, Mewman, keep your arms up in the air!"

Star raised her arms, taking heavy breaths as some policemen ran up to her and handcuffed her.

"Why are you even doing this?" Star asked, glancing at the policemen as they helped her get up and walk towards the barricade. "I-I wasn't-"

"Guilty of what you did? Yeah, right," the cop woman scoffed. "We know how mewmans such as yourself work: You do something that upsets the general peace of our cities, then deny all responsibility and flee before karma gets you. Well, today's different, little ladybug!"

Once she was close enough, the woman grabbed Star and pinned her against the front of the car as she smugly stated:

"You're not escaping karma this time!"

"That's enough!"

A familiar van entered the barricade, with the nearby police cars moving out of the way to give the van space to park. And as soon as it stopped, a familiar face came out.

It was Mrs. Diaz, wearing a long-sleeved Brown trenchcoat... And still on her pajamas.

"Sorry, I couldn't change clothes before coming here," Angie sheepishly smiled and scratched the back of her head. "My husband told me about the incident without warning, so I needed to get ready as quickly possible."

"I-Inspector Angelica!" the cop woman flinched in shock. "W-What are you doing here?!"

"Any and all Mewman-related cases are supervised by me, remember?" Angie sternly stated. "I check the details of the case, talk with the officers to know what to do, you know, the usual."

Angie pulled Star up. "And also, I need to interrogate this Mewman."

The cop woman rolled her eyes. "Can't you do it while she's behind bars?"

"Arresting a Mewman without definite proof that they did something wrong would make us no better than them," Angie placed a familiar collar on Star as she added, "We'll interrogate her first, and depending on what we find, she may or may not go to jail."

The cop woman rolled her eyes and went back to her car as Star was brought to the passenger seat, where she sat down as Angie told her, with a slightly reassuring tone:

"Don't worry, this will be over pretty quickly."

Angie went back to her car, and the police brigade left, taking Star for what could probably an intense interrogation.

And from afar, Marco watched Star being taken custody from the forest, leaning against a tree as he recovered from the fight.

"Marco?"

The guy turned around and saw his father, Brittney, Jackie, and Janna looking at him with concern.

"We heard you screaming" Rafael explained, the girls nodding as he asked, "What happened?"

The boy lowered his head and looked elsewhere, knowing that whatever he would say, it would probably upset the girls and his dad.

Nevertheless, he took a deep breath and answered:

"It's... A long story..."


	24. Star's Interrogation

**Yes, I'm updating again, and yes, chapter 25 is finished so I don't need to go on hiatus again.**

 **I don't know, I just felt like doing a double upload one last time before I go back to single uploads.**

 **Especially since I may focus on other stories as well.**

 **Now, to the reviews!:**

 **1) Lelcar (Sorry if I spelled it wrong): How would that be any better? Marco's Mom is part of the police force, and stray monsters only attack unprovoked when Mewmans are involved. One way or another, a Mewman would've been suspected, and Star would've been searched and captured all the same.**

 **2) Nobody245: It's times like these that I wish I could tell if what I was writing was offensive or not. I meant to say what I said last time in a curious tone, but after thinking about it, yeah, it sounds a bit... Rude. Sorry about that.**

 **Now, if It's any consolation, I wasn't planning on dragging the plot twist for long. There's just no point in doing so when the shock is blatantly telegraphed and obvious from the get-go.**

 **Miraculous Ladybug knew this. Gravity Falls knew this. Steven Universe probably knew, but the hiatuses kinda ruined it.**

 **Anyway, I apologize for the rude comment, and I will try to mind my words next time.**

 **And now, to the chapter!**

* * *

 _ **Echo Creek Police Station...**_

Star sat down on a chair close to the entrance, with all the cops except Angie throwing angry looks at her.

"Something tells me most cops don't like Mewmans," Star remarked, only to realize the implications of what she said. "Not that I meant that in-!"

"Calm down, I understand," Angie sighed. "Cops don't like criminals nor troublemakers, and since Mewmans have a bad history with nearly every species ever, we quickly started assuming any Mewman who came here did so to cause trouble."

Angie took a closer look at the Mewman, and immediately noticed something on her hand; The one that was shot, to be exact.

The hole left from the shot was nowhere to be seen. If anything, it looked like it had never been shot.

"Didn't we shot you here?" Angie abuptly asked.

"Yeah, but it healed, I guess," Star shrugged. "I don't know why it does that either, it just... does it."

Angie raised an eyebrow, but quickly shook it off as a cop officer brought Marco and made him sit next to Star.

"What is he doing here?" Star asked, pointing at Marco. "He did nothing wrong!"

"He escaped from home without consulting me or his father first," Angie stated. "And now, I want you to keep an eye on him."

Understandably, Star was flabbergasted at the statement. "What?!"

"Listen, don't get the wrong idea, alright?" Angie growled. "After running off like he did, I feel nervous keeping him alone, so..."

Angie put a hand on Star's shoulder, and tightly squeezed it as she requested:

"Please. Keep. My son. Safe."

"Got it! You got my word!" Star shrieked, trying to get the woman to let go as she added. "I'll keep your son as safe as possible! Nothing bad will happen to him, I assure you!"

Angie released the fake queen and clasped her hands. "Thank you. Now wait here patiently while I check the interrogation room."

The duo nodded, and Angie left, leaving them alone with a silence that went on for some time...

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but," Star took a deep breath. "How's your ponytail doing?"

Marco rolled his eyes, and took out his ponytail from the back of his head, revealing it was healing, but it was nowhere near full recovery. It also continued twitching, even as Marco slightly shook, forcing him to retract the ponytail back into his head.

"W-What's wrong?" Star asked.

"Nothing, It's just that, since my ponytail is connected to my head, any pain I feel from it is taken directly to my brain, leaving me lightheaded," Marco explained, rubbing his head gently. "It doesn't do anything as long as It's inside, though, and it even heals as well, so I just need to keep it there until It's back to a hundred percent."

Star looked at the ground. "I'm sorry for what happened."

"Don't be, I would've left the house and helped whoever was in danger anyway," Marco took a deep breath. "If anything, I'm glad the person in danger was you. I don't know how things would've gone if it was any other Mewman."

Star smiled in relief. "I'm glad you were the person that came to help me, too. If it was any other human, they probably would've left me for dead."

"Assuming they didn't try to protect Ludo from you," Marco quipped.

Star crossed her arms. "Ha! Wouldn't that be something else?"

The pair laughed about it for a moment, before a few familiar faces-at least to Marco-entered the station:

They were his father, Jackie, Janna, and Brittney.

"We came as soon as we could!" Rafael exclaimed as he and the girls ran to Marco's side. "Are you feeling okay?!"

"Your Highness, these are the girls I told you about," Marco pointed at each girl. "Brittney, Jackie, and Janna. They, along with my Dad, came to help me after putting Ludo back in the forest."

Star smiled and bowed down. "It's a pleasure to meet you at last."

Rafael and Brittney exchanged looks, seemingly concerned with the Mewman, while Janna and Jackie glared at her, with Jackie's glare being more intense and hostile than Janna's.

"You again, huh?" Jackie asked as she stomped towards the queen. "What the heck are you doing here?!"

"I'm not here looking for a fight," Star calmly answered. "I found out something interesting about my kingdom's history, and I came here looking for people to help me with my quest-"

"So you went after Marco and beat him up when he refused!" Janna hissed.

"No, I got injured fighting a monster she was fighting," Marco hastily explained, trying to defuse the situation.

"So she went after a monster helper first, and when that monster refused, she beat them up!" Jackie argued. "Okay, that makes more sense: It definitely sounds like something Mewmans would do."

Star pinched the bridge of her nose. "Listen, the monster was in a corrupted state when he attacked me, and Marco over here helped me fight him back. I wasn't looking for a fight, I was just searching for allies when the monster struck!"

Jackie backed away from the fake queen, and Janna walked to Jackie's side as the duo scratched their chins and hummed, throwing suspicious looks at Star.

Star turned to Brittney and Rafael. "They don't believe me, do they?"

The man and cheerleader nervously smiled and nodded, making the Mewman lower her head and sigh.

And then Angie returned. "Alright, the interrogation room is ready. Let's go, Your Highness."

Star nodded, got up, and followed the woman to the interrogation room, with the rest of the Diazes and Marco's girls following them.

Once there, Star and Angie sat inside the room, while Marco, Rafael, and the girls waited outside.

"Alright, so, a couple things I believe need to be explained," Angie pointed at a phone next to him. "With this phone, I can request any officer of the station to come here to bring support. So, if your case starts becoming a bit more peculiar than expected, I'll call an officer, or whoever can help me."

Star nodded, understanding so far.

"Behind us is a two-way mirror," Angie pointed at the mirror behind her. "While inside here, you can only see reflections, but outside, everybody can see what's happening inside here. So, if you try anything funny, they'll see it, got it?"

Star looked at the mirror in awe, before she turned back to Angie and nodded.

"Finally, all I'm going to do is ask you questions pertaining to the case, or that could be related to it," Angie folded her arms. "When answering, I want you to be completely honest, and if you try lying... Well, let's just say you shouldn't do that. Now, are you ready?"

Star nodded one final time, with a determined smile.

"Okay, first question, what are you doing on Earth? More specifically, what are you doing on Echo Creek?"

Star scratched the back of her head, then opened a portal and put her hand through it. From the portal, she took out the document revealing the current council of queens, which she handed to Angie as she explained:

"I found out a moment ago that I wasn't the legitimate Queen of Hearts. The title belongs to someone named Febe the Red, and knowing how a switch like this could mean nothing but trouble, I set out on a quest to find this Febe."

Angie opened and read the document as Star somberly added:

"However, even with the power I have right now, I don't think it would be enough to accomplish my goal, so I was hoping I could find some people to help me with the search."

After she finished reading the document, Angie put it on the table as she asked:

"What were you expecting to happen when you set foot in Echo Creek? Surely, knowing it was filled with humans, you should've known you wouldn't be welcomed here."

"I was thinking I could look in the forest or adjacent areas for monsters to recruit," Star explained. "In fact, the monster that attacked me was one of those candidates: Ludo, the prince of the Kappa Kingdom."

Angie raised an eyebrow, but quickly shook it off and asked:

"Okay, do you have any contingency or backup plan just in case this "Febe" doesn't desire to rule, or even go back to Mewni?"

Star nearly said something, only to think about it some more, growing sadder and forlorn as she did.

Angie sighed. "Okay, how about we skip that question?"

Star nodded.

"Now, final question, and we'll see what we do with you," Angie smiled. "Now, remember, answer with complete honesty."

"I've been completely honest up to this point," Star stated. "I wouldn't just lie to you all of a sudden."

Angie nodded, then dropped the cheerful attitude as she sternly asked:

"Did you kill my son?"

Taken by surprise, Star flinched at the question, but she simply took a deep breath and answered:

"I fought with him, on the agreement that if I won, I could take one item that I needed to take back. As the fight went on, I grew more and more desperate, and I was left with no choice but to use one of my strongest techniques, which sent him knocking on death's door."

Angie narrowed her eyes, prompting the girl to add:

"However, he still managed to get up and try to attack me one more time, and it was only thanks to my Mom that he didn't outright kill me when I was at my most vulnerable."

Angie, her husband, and the teenagers' eyes widened at the statement, with all eyes falling on Marco as the guy scratched his head, trying to remember the event:

"She's right: A stray blast hit me as I lunged at her. I couldn't see who shot it, though."

"My Mother did," Star stated, getting Angie's attention. "She came looking for me, and as soon as she saw him lunge at me, she shot him."

Angie narrowed her eyes, her anger at the fake queen clearly present.

Then, she pressed a button on the phone nearby and said:

"Please tell Officer Septarsis to come here."

Seeing how things weren't gonna get any better, Rafael took the teenagers back home, leaving Star and Mrs. Diaz alone.

"Fair enough, so, you're, more or less, the Mewman who killed my son," Angie tapped the table with her finger as she looked elsewhere. "Now, let me think, what kind of execution does a case like this warrant?"

"E-Execution?!" Star flinched, sweating profusely as she maintained a nervous smile. "A-Are you sure such drastic measures are necessary?"

"Listen, whether or not you dealt the killing blow doesn't matter: My son died thanks to you," Angie stated. "You have only two options: You accept the execution, or we pardon you, in exchange for helping us deal with a troublesome mission."

Star raised an eyebrow, prompting the woman to explain:

"A former Mewman who worked as a teacher in Echo Creek's academy was captured a couple days ago by some mewmans. Ever since then, the principal of the school has been looking for a replacement, but he hasn't been successful. We need to take her back, but there's just one problem."

"Only one problem?" Star rolled her eyes. "Knowing how mewmanity works, I figured you'd see at least a dozen problems."

Angie rolled her eyes. "We did, but since almost all of them are linked to the queens, we just need to take them out of the picture and the job will be a little bit easier."

Just then, a certain reptillian humanoid entered the room: Toffee, looking much better than he did back with his encounter with Brittney.

"You called me, Inspector Angie?" the sharp-suited reptillian man asked.

"Yes, Toffee, I did," Angie pointed at Star. "Explain "Her Fakeness" over here the problem with our plan to recover the ex-Mewman."

"Oh, I've heard about you!" Star said. "You were part of the Loveberry Rebellion, right?"

Toffee ignored the girl and turned to Angie. "I know where the dungeons are located, but if the queens find out what we're doing, they'll annihilate us with their magic."

"Which is where you come in," Angie told the fake queen. "We need you to create a didtraction to lure the queens' attention away from the dungeons, away from the castle if necessary."

"Huh, distracting the queens, my favorite hobby!" Star scoffed. "Speaking seriously, even if I manage to distract them, how are you going to deal with the guards?"

Angie and Toffee took out pistols and reloaded them, giving Star a silent answer.

"Alright, I see your point, and I accept your terms," Star sighed. "So, when do we go?"

Angie and Toffee exchanged serious looks, then stared at the fake queen as they stated in unison:

"Now."


	25. The Mission

**Okay, another chapter up! Phew, good thing I finished another chapter before posting this one, otherwise, that might've been a problem.**

 **No reviews to respond to, as far as I know, but I will take this moment to tell you something:**

 **Season 4 Isn't coming until 2019, and when the show is on, I believe that's when the fandom's most active, or at least, that's the idea I get.**

 **So, when this mini arc wraps up in about two chapters, I think, I'll take a break on this story and wait until the show returns to air before I resume it.**

 **Sad, I know, but with all the other stuff I have to work on, I think this is for the best.**

 **So, without further ado, let's get on with the chapter!**

* * *

 _ **Back at Mewni...**_

A portal opened close to the backyard of the Butterfly Castle, and from the portal came out Star, Angie, and Toffee, the last two holding guns and wearing bullet-proof vests.

"Are you sure just you two will be enough?" Star asked, slightly concerned as she closed the portal. "I mean, there are dozens, or even hundreds, of guards inside."

"Yeah, but their equipment is archaic compared to our guns," Angie explained. "As long as none of them use magic, or we don't encounter one of the queens, we should be fine."

With that said, Star took a deep breath and guided the pair through the entrance, which was suspiciously empty.

"Welcome to Mewni Castle," Star said as she and the police force walked deeper inside. "The only place capable of holding captive a legendary figure such as Mina Loveberry!"

Angie immediately shushed Star. "Yeah, we get it, Your Loudness, but keep your voice down! We need to keep the element of surprise!"

"The dungeons are located deeper down, and are heavily guarded, but the guards' armor shouldn't be strong enough to withstand our bullets," Toffee stated as he loaded his gun. "Your Highness, can you commence the distraction?"

Star smiled with determination and cracked her knuckles. "Leave it to me."

Star sprouted her wings and flew off to the upper chambers, leaving behind a surprised Angie and Toffee.

"Is it me, or did she seem oddly... Excited, to do her part?" Angie asked, throwing a confused look at Toffee.

"She's probably on her rebel phase; She'll feel excited whenever she's about to make a mess," Toffee chuckled. "My daughter went through a similar phase."

"Well, we got no time to waste," Angie stated. "Let's get going."

Toffee nodded in agreement, and the duo walked down towards the deeper levels of the castle.

 _ **The Dungeons...**_

Mina rested on her bed, looking at the window while Kelly, Tad, and Higgs watched her.

"Are you sure It's necessary to keep looking at her?" Tad asked. "I mean, there are like a dozen more dangerous criminals we could be watching over."

Higgs slapped Tad hard enough to knock him off Kelly's head.

"How dare you insult the greatest warrior in all of Mewni!?" Higgs snapped at the living bush. "She didn't go through everything she did only to be understimated by a mere hybrid like you!"

"Um, Kelly's the hybrid, not me," Tad pointed out.

"I don't care!" Higgs kicked Tad in the face. "What I care is that you don't get Mina angry! She's dangerous enough when she's calm, who knows how much more dangerous she'll be when she's angry!?"

"My, what flattering comments."

Higgs flinched and turned around to see Mina looking straight at her, with the smuggest look she could muster.

"And I'll give you credit for saying them now," Mina scoffed. "After all, It's not like you'll be watching me after this night."

"You're going to stay there and rot like you deserve!" Higgs yelled.

Mina rolled her eyes. "I'm gonna be out here before your shift is over."

Kelly looked at her wristwatch. "Actually, our shift ends in about 15 minutes. Are you sure you'll be out by then?"

Higgs shook Kelly violently. "Don't challenge her!"

Mina just chuckled and shook her head, finding their antics amusing, and a good way to wait for her rescue.

 _ **The Kitchen...**_

Moon cut a long tail in segmented pieces, just in time for a certain someone to arrive: Meteora.

"Moon, I came to check up on you after the fight-" Meteora said, only to grow curious when she saw the woman cutting the tail in half. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing, Meteora? I'm cooking!" Moon growled in response, focusing solely on the tail. "Mom always cooked when she was upset, and it always calmed her down-"

Meteora folded her arms. "Yeah, I know that, but what are you cooking?"

"Septarian tail," Moon answered as she revealed the cut tail. "Of all the parts of a septarian, this is the least dangerous to consume."

"Uh huh, and where exactly did you get the tail?" the Queen of Clubs asked, making the Queen of Diamonds flinch. "I mean, septarians, like most monsters, haven't been seen since Celena got rid of them."

Moon paused, put the tail back on the cutting board and looked away as she answered:

"There was a septarian tail left on the cold box, so I figured I'd cook it."

Meteora walked to said cold box, basically a cubed freezer, and she opened it... Only to realize:

"There's nothing here."

Moon flinched once again. "It was the last one left."

Meteora closed the box and threw a suspicious look at Moon, seemingly not buying their excuse.

Their attention was caught, however, when they heard a childish voice whispering:

" _The blood of the heartbroken shall drown you all._ "

"Did you hear that?!" Moon asked, taking her knife as she slowly walked towards the hybrid queen. "It sounded like-"

"I know, but that can't be it," Meteora replied as she looked around. "The Blood Moon's dead, so such threats mean nothing."

The ghostly voice wailed once more:

" _Our hearts were broken to pieces. But now's our turn to be the heart breakers!_ "

Moon gripped her knife. "Okay, screw cooking, I'm gonna go find the source of that sound!"

Moon bolted out of the kitchen, but not before asking, "Where's Eclipsa, by the way?"

"I figured she was in her bedroom," Meteora shrugged. "In fact, I was gonna go check after checking here."

Moon just nodded and ran away, with Meteora going to her Mother's bedroom while sporting a curious smile.

 ** _Meanwhile, with Toffee and Angie..._**

The duo hid behind some pillars and checked their surroundings before they walked deeper into the castle, finding no noteworthy resistance.

"I don't get it, we haven't come across a single guard yet," Angie remarked in disbelief. "I figured there would be at least a couple of them around here, but... Nothing. It's almost as if they left."

"Can you blame them? They're working under a crybaby in the body of a woman, a hybrid that's too confused to get anything done, a little brat that Isn't even the legitimate queen, and Moon Butterfly," Toffee replied. "If I was in their place, I would've ran away the first chance I got."

Angie narrowed her eyes as she though about it, but as she did, she mostly focused on how things just didn't seem... Right, at the moment.

What Toffee asked next, however, caught her completely off-guard:

"Mrs. Diaz, why are there glowing symbols on your cheeks?"

The woman flinched and gently felt her cheeks, trying to see if they felt any different. She then ran up to a mirror, and saw she had pure white, glowing lighting bolt-shaped cheekmarks.

"But, that should be impossible!" Angie said in shock. "I'm-I'm not a Mewman!"

Toffee scratched her chin and hummed, trying to find a way to make sense out of the discovery.

"They appeared as soon as we stepped here..." Toffee remarked. "Maybe..."

The septarian snapped his fingers, getting Mrs. Diaz's attention.

"Mrs. Diaz, head down the other path, see if those cheekmarks resonate some more," the septarian stated. "I'll go down this path and head to the dungeons."

"But what about the guards?" Angie asked with worry.

Toffee smiled with confidence. "Please, I haven't survived 1100 or so years just to die by a feeble Mewman's hand. I'll be fine.

Angie nodded, and walked down the specified path, making sure to grip her gun and look at her surroundings as the septarian's smile remained as he calmly walked to the dungeons.

And as soon as they were both gone, a familiar figure arrived and looked at both paths, before following Angie's path.

 _ **The Meeting Room...**_

The Magic High Commission were playing poker, or a close variation of it, when Hekapoo sensed something and dropped her cards.

"Is something wrong, Hekapoo?" Omnitraxus inquired.

"It can't be!" Hekapoo exclaimed as she stood up.

"What can't be?" Rhombulus asked, raising his single eyebrow.

"Didn't you guys feel it?!" Hekapoo asked. "Remember when Star said she'd bring back the real Queen of Hearts?! Well, she did!"

Omnitraxus' eyes opened wide as Lekmet spat his drink and Rhombulus nearly fainted.

"I know, I find it shocking too!" Hekapoo twiddled her fingers. "But, there's also another issue..."

The rest of the commission leaned closer to hear out Hekapoo, who took a deep breath before stating:

"There are monsters inside the castle right now."

The rest of the commission dropped their cards, stood up, then spread out to cover more ground across the castle.

 _ **Meanwhile, with Star...**_

The fake queen kept flying around as she tried to think of another thing to say.

"Come on, Star, use your head!" the girl said to herself. "What else would a Bloody Mewman say?"

"B-Fly?"

Star flinched and backed away, only to realize she was right in front of both Pony Head and her father, King River.

"U-Um..." Star smiled sheepishly. "I can explain."

"Save it, we don't have time for it," Pony Head stated. "We need to go to the dungeons-"

"Whoa, wait a minute!" Star formed a shield around River and Pony Head, trapping them in place. "What's the rush? Why do you need to go to the dungeons?"

"We will tell you on one condition," River stated. "You'll help us with our mission."

"And if you don't, we'll tell everybody you're here," Pony Head said.

Seeing she had little choice, Star undid the shield and nodded, prompting her father to say:

"We're trying to break Mina Loveberry out of her cell."

Star's eyes widened in shock, only to narrow as she furiously stated:

"I'm listening."

 _ **Back with Angie...**_

The woman found herself walking down the hallway of the Queens, looking at each of the symbols in the walls as she felt her cheekmarks grow stronger and stronger.

Until she reached the wall with the lighting bolt symbol, where the cheekmarks reached their maximum glow.

Unsure of why this was the case, Angie walked closer towards the wall, then tripped, falling right into the room of Solaria.

Inside the vast room, there was only one thing of notice: A tapestry of Solaria, her eyes closed, with tears going down her cheeks as she held a sword in one hand, and a cloaked baby in the other.

The cheekmarks vanished as Angie walked towards the tapestry, and looked at Solaria in both confusion and curiosity.

This didn't stop her from feeling disappointed, though. "Why would they lead me here?"

"That's what I'd like to know."

Angie turned around and aimed her gun at the source of the voice, only to find none other than Eclipsa, Queen of the Void, who walked right through the wall and into the room.

And the queen didn't look happy as she shot a glowing glare at Angie...


	26. Febe the Red One

**I will take a break from this story, for real, after next chapter. Just letting you know.**

 **Anyway, let's answer some reviews!:**

 **1) Nobody245: A Mewman-hating human and a Human-hating Mewman alone together in a room. You're right, this can only end well. XD**

 **And now, to the story!**

* * *

Back where we left off, Angie and Eclipsa were at Solaria's room, where the latter sternly glared at the former.

"Y-You again!" Angie exclaimed, keeping a steady aim with her gun. "What are you doing here?!"

"I could ask you the same question," Eclipsa folded her arms behind her back as she walked towards the woman. "After all, why would you return to Mewni, a place infested with the Mewmans you loath... Unless, of course, you had ulterior motives?"

"I don't have such motives!" Angie loaded her gun. "And don't take another step, or I'll shoot!"

Eclipsa, feeling confident, smirked and took a single step forward, prompting Angie to unload a bunch of lead on her.

Eclipsa's response? Raise her hand, stop the bullets in mid-air, then crush them by clenching her fist.

Then she did the same thing with Angie's gun before the woman even had a chance to reload.

"I'm not in the mood to play games, Febe," Eclipsa hissed. "Don't get me in a bad mood."

Angie raised an eyebrow. "Febe? Who's that?"

"It's you, silly," Eclipsa answered, folding her arms as she walked towards the woman. "Daughter of Solaria, the real Queen of Hearts, Descendant of the original Sun of Destruction, you're that and many more things."

Angie, naturally baffled at the statement, stepped aside as Eclipsa stopped right in front of Solaria's tapestry.

"You know, I always felt that there was one loose end I left unfinished," Eclipsa remarked, looking at Solaria's tapestry as she sighed, "And it had to do with my beloved sister, Solaria."

Angie went to Eclipsa's side as she explained:

"A long time ago, Solaria found out a terrible secret about the true nature of Monsters and Mewmans, a secret that Celena, our great High Queen, explicitly told her not to look for. Sadly, we didn't know about reverse psychology back then, so when Solaria defied Celena and went there anyway, we were shocked."

Eclipsa clasped her hands and shed a couple tears.

"My poor sister, she was horrified by what she saw. And Celena tried to help her by blinding her, making sure she would never see any horrible truth ever again. But Solaria wasn't the most grateful of beings, so she staged a rebellion, along with a former hero I won't mention, then fled to the Earth to start a new life, which eventually lead her to give birth to a child."

Eclipsa looked at the ground, her hair obscuring her eyes. "And that child was you."

Angie frowned. "Why are you telling me this?"

Suddenly, a purple light appeared to Angie's side as Eclipsa said:

"Oh, dear Febe, I just figured it was fair..."

Angie turned around and saw the source of the light was none other than Eclipsa, who looked at her with deadpan, soulless eyes as she aimed a purple sphere and stated:

"You won't live to tell the tale, after all."

 _ **Meanwhile, at the Dungeons...**_

Star, River, and Pony Head reached the dungeons, where they looked around to make sure no guards were around. Once they saw the coast was clear, they ran to Mina's cell, with the legendary hero spotting them soon after.

"River, you're here!" Mina chirped. "And you brought Pony Head and Moon!"

And as Star looked in shock at the legendary warrior, Mina checked her out, oblivious to River and Pony Head's deadpan expression.

"And she looks younger... And she's blonde now... And her cheekmarks are different..." the realization soon struck the woman. "This Isn't Moon, is she?"

"Mina, meet Star," River said. "Moon's daughter."

"Oh! I see!" Mina tilted her head. "And who's the father?"

River rubbed his temples. "You must be joking."

"Save the family introduction for later!" Pony Head exclaimed as she charged her horn. "Time to set Mina free!"

Before she even heard everybody shouting "Pony Head, wait!" the sentient head shot a laser at the cell bars, which glew for a second before it reflected the beam right back at her, sending her flying out of the dungeons.

"Right, those things can reflect magic," Star remarked. "But wait, Mina doesn't have magic, right? Can't he just punch her way out?"

"As soon as I do that, It'll set off an alarm, alerting any nearby knights and their squires," Mina explained. "So, I need both you and River to cover for me while I head for the exit."

Star tilted her head. "What exit?"

Mina pointed at the window above her cell. Which reminded Star of something.

"Dad, could you let me speak with Mina for a moment?" Star asked. "There's something I need to tell her in private."

The king sighed and ran out to check on Pony Head, leaving the girls to talk alone.

"Listen, Mina, I went to Earth, and a bunch of things happened that ended with me having to help a small group with a mission," Star said. "That mission is to rescue you and take you back to Earth-"

"Sounds good to me," Mina answered. "So, once the whole guard thing is taken care of, you'll take me to the group, right?"

"I can try, but we split off and I don't know where they are right now," Star sighed. "Anyhow, you don't mind returning to Earth, right?"

"Are you kidding? I'd stay there forever if I could!" the heroine bluntly stated. "That place has been much more of a home for me in a hundred years than Mewni has been in thousands!"

Though saddened by that statement, this did make the fake queen question:

"Mina, how old are you exactly?"

The heroine was about to answer before the alarms blared, prompting Mina to literally kick her cell bars open as guards entered the room.

But these weren't normal guards; They we're robot guards from Meteora's Reformatory!

"Meteora's guards?!" Star exclaimed.

"Why am I not surprised?" Mina asked as she cracked her knuckles. "Your Highness, get ready to trash them!"

Star blushed at the thought of fighting alongside Mina, but the robot guards' heavy steps returned her to reality, allowing her to channel her energy as the guards rushed at them...

 _ **Meanwhile, with Toffee...**_

The lizard man continued walking deeper into the castle, finding no resistance as he did. Back when Angie pointed this out, the reptillian monster could just shrug it off as a break.

But seeing the castle seemingly, completely isolated like this... It did bring up a couple of questions to his mind.

Then, Toffee stopped right on his tracks, not out of his own will, but due to his foot being encased in ice.

"Stop right there, you overgrown lizard!"

Recognizing the voice, Toffee turned around to see none other than Moon Butterfly, who seemingly recognized him as well.

"Moon?!" Toffee exclaimed.

"Toffee?!" the Queen of Diamonds nervously said as she ran towards the septarian. "S-Sorry, I thought you were a bad monster! I'll get you out of there soon, but what are you doing here?!"

Toffee sighed. "I was on a mission to free Mina Loveberry and take her back to Earth-"

Suddenly, the lizard man felt his whole lower body freeze up, which he saw was because of Moon, whose eyes turned red as she said, "On second thought, maybe you should stay there a little longer."

This earned the woman a slap in the head from the lizard man, who snapped, "Don't throw that nonsense at me, Moon! Now get me out of here!"

Moon grabbed her head and put on a pouty face. "I'm the Queen of Diamonds, you should be treating me with respect!"

"I would if you weren't acting like an overconfident love-crazed teenager," Toffee folded his arms and narrowed his eyes. "Now get me out of here."

Moon looked at the lizard man's current stance and folded her arms. "Or else what?"

Toffee smirked. "Or else I'll break out of here and confiscate all of your Mina Loveberry fanfiction."

The woman flinched and flushed as red as a tomato.

"Y-You're bluffing!" Moon snapped, flailing her arms up and down. "There's no way you would know I've written Mina Loveberry fanfiction! I've hidden each and every fanfic I've written in places only I know about!"

Toffee raised an eyebrow. "So you really have written fanfiction of her?"

Realizing she was played, Moon blushed even harder and snapped, ""E-Even so, that ice is a near perfect replica of Rhombulus' impenetrable material! There's no way you can-!"

By the time she focused again, Moon saw Toffee has not only literally broken free from the ice, but the ice melted soon after, while the lizard man walked down the hallway towards the woman's room. With that, Moon chased the man, shooting ice blasts everywhere in a desperate attempt to freeze him again.

 _ **Back with Angie and Eclipsa...**_

A purple explosion happened, and Angie narrowly dodged the radius before she found herself levitating by Eclipsa's hands.

"Solaria betrayed the greatest Mewman in history, even after all she did for us!" Eclipsa clenched her fists. "And you are the living proof that she got away with it!"

Eclipsa extended a hand towards Angie, who was surrounded by a purple aura as she was lifted from the ground.

"Celena took us out of the streets!"

Eclipsa swung her arm to the side, sending Angie crashing on the wall in that direction.

"She gave us a home when we had lost everything!"

Eclipsa swung her arm up, sending Angie crashing to the ceiling.

"She even allowed us to keep our children, when Mewman law would demand your immediate execution!"

Eclipsa swung her arms down, sending Angie face-first into the ground, before she levitated her back up.

"And even after all that, Solaria! Took! Her! Away from me!"

The Queen of the Void swung her arm rapidly in all directions, sending Angie crashing to those walls, with the woman unable to do anything but scream between each crash, until Eclipsa sent her plummeting to the ground hard enough to crash and break it, sending her to a room below.

And in this room, a familiar face extended a hand towards the downed, confused woman. And once she looked up, Angie smiled at seeing the face was a friendly one.

It was Hekapoo, sporting a reassuring smile.

 _ **Meanwhile, at Eclipsa's Bedroom...**_

Meteora opened the door and went inside, clutching her chest and catching her breath as she slammed the door shut.

"Okay, Mom and Moon's fight left both of them upset, so Mom should be venting elsewhere for a while," the Queen of Clubs remarked. "I just hope she's not destroying trees or the buildings to calm down. Again."

Meteora took a deep breath and scanned her surroundings as she said to herself:

"Alright, time to find where Mom keeps Dad's stuff hidden!"

The queen first checked under the bed. "Nothing."

Then the closet. "Nothing."

Then the drawers, where she did find something: A bunch of "Monster Monthly" magazines, with big, muscular monsters on the cover.

"I'm certainly going to act like there was nothing here," then she noticed a shining dot. "Wait, what's that?"

The hybrid reached for the dot and took it out. A closer look revealed it was a folded piece of paper, which Meteora unfolded as the thought of what it was brought a smile to her face.

And it was indeed what she thought it was: The written form of Globgor's temple's password.

"Yes! Just what I needed!" Meteora chirped. "Now, if only I knee how to speak Monster..."

"I could translate that for you."

The hybrid Queen looked up and saw Omnitraxus hovering above her, staring at her with a neutral look.

And besides wondering how she didn't saw him until now, the woman asked:

"Y-You're not going to tell Mom about this, right?"

Omnitraxus shook his head. "She may be my "boss" in a sense, but I have no obligation to take her side in everything."

Omnitraxus lowered his hand. "Now, let me see so I can translate it."

Meteora smiled in relief, and handed the paper, exchanging friendly looks with the sentient galaxy as he translated the words.

 _ **Meanwhile, with Rhombulus...**_

The living prison ran around the castle, following the trail of crystals sprouting from the walls and ground, a clear indication Moon had been there.

And surely enough, he found both Moon and Toffee sitting on a bench, the latter putting a hand on the former's shoulder as she drank some water and caught her breath.

"You know, for someone I've been trying to crystallize, you're surprisingly okay with helping me catch my breath," Moon said.

Toffee smiled. "Of course I am, I'm your-"

"Moon!"

The duo turned around and saw Rhombulus approaching them. "There are crystals all over the place, what happened?!"

Moon smiled sheepishly. "Well-"

And then, the alarms from the dungeons blared again, catching everybody's attention.

"You're hearing the alarms too, right?" Moon asked, her eyes turning red.

"Yeah, and if I had ears, I'd be covering them right now," Rhombulus said.

"Sounds like they're coming from the dungeons," Toffee remarked. "Perhaps my partner is already freeing Mina-"

Moon nearly instinctively ran off, but Toffee grabbed her arm and said:

"You either go after Mina and try to stop her from leaving, but I confiscate your fanfiction, or you stop me from confiscating that stuff, and Mina gets away-"

However, when he opened his eyes again, Toffee saw Moon had already freed herself from his grasp and ran to confront the dungeon situation.

"Wow, she... She didn't even hesitate," Toffee remarked.

"Classic Moon," Rhombulus chuckled.

 _ **Back with Hekapoo and Mrs. Diaz...**_

The fiery redhead helped the woman stand up with one hand while she opened a portal with her other hand.

"You don't know how glad I am to see you, Hekapoo!" Mrs. Diaz stated. "This day just went completely nuts!"

"Yeah, tell me about it," Hekapoo chuckled. "But don't worry, there's a way everything can be explained to you."

Mrs. Diaz raised an eyebrow, prompting the redhead to explain:

"In the room of the former high queen, there's a room that contains a heart-faceted gemstone. Find it, and destroy it."

Before the woman could ask anything about the plan, Eclipsa crashed through the floor and surrounded herself in a dark aura as she yelled:

"Febe, I'm not done with you!"

Hekapoo stepped in front of Mrs. Diaz and threw a wink at her. "Go to Celena's room, the one with the circled star. I'll keep Eclipsa occupied!"

Angie nodded and jumped through the portal, prompting Eclipsa to push Hekapoo back and chase after the woman.

Or well, she would've chased her, had Hekapoo not teleported right in front of her and swung her scissor sword, driving Eclipsa to the defensive.

"You're not going to hurt her! Not on my watch!"

On the other side of the portal, Angie landed back outside at the hallway of the rooms of the queens, where she stood up, and ran as fast as she could for Celena's room.

She found it soon enough, took a quick look at the tome in there, then accidentally threw it down as she jumped into the room.

If only the "spirits" of the other queens weren't there when she arrived.

The spirits flew towards Angie, screaming bloody murder... Until they stopped, scanned her, then glitched as they returned to their position, got on the ground and bowed to the woman.

"Huh, so these are just AI?" Angie scratched her chin, then got an idea. "Where can I find a heart-faceted gemstone?"

One of the spirits almost said something in defiance, before it glitched and pointed at the curtain nearby.

Like with Eclipsa and Star, Angie went through the curtain, down the hallway, through another curtian and voila, the Heart fragment was found.

Angie grabbed the Heart-faceted gem, and took a closer look at it to see if there was anything odd about it. Granted, nothing would weird her out more than the spirits of the queens bowing down to her, but hey, never hurts to be safe.

Seeing nothing wrong with it, Mrs. Diaz slammed the gem against the floor, shattering it into a million pieces. Which turned to dust.

And that dust flew up high and glew until it formed a ball of energy, which then morphed to resemble a humanoid form.

This humanoid form seemed to be feminine, but tomboy-ish in build, with what seemed like an armor generating after the base shape was finished.

And all the while, Angie looked at the shape in awe, her eyes diluting as she started to recognize it.

Finally, the figure was complete, and she landed on her knees before she stood up and dusted herself.

"Thank you..." she said with a deep voice.

The figure turned around, revealing herself to be Solaria, beaming a smile and throwing a joyful, blinded look at Mrs. Diaz.

"Febe!"

Angie smiled as a pair of symbols materialized on her cheeks:

Hearts.

"Mom?!"


	27. Shadow Song

**Okay, this chapter is the last one I'll post for a while, so you know what that means: Hiatus incoming!**

 **It's been coming for a while now, anyway: Between this story, Chains of Reality, Conflicted Feelings, Kakorraphobia, and my many one-shots, I think It's safe to say I'm very close to burning myself out. So, I'll put this story on hold, so I can focus on the other stories.**

 **When will this story return? Well, when the show itself returns, I guess. I think It's a fair(ly ridiculously long) time to wait for this story to continue. I hope you don't mind.**

 **And now, let's answer reviews!:**

 **1) Nobody245:**

 *** Yeah, trust me, I too was a bit amazed at how many insane things were happening. I just hope I did foreshadow them to an extent in previous chapters, otherwise... I might be in trouble. XD**

 *** Why do you say I've earned my break? I only have posted 27 chapters and the plot just started moving along. I mean, I'm happy you think so, but I'm curious why.**

 **And now, to the chapter!**

* * *

Back where we left off, Angie cheerfully hugged her mother, Solaria, who had just materialized out of the shards of the heart fragment.

Yes, really.

"I can't believe you're actually here!" Angie chirped. "I thought I had lost you forever!"

"I'm happy to see you too, sweetie," Solaria answered as she and Angie separated.

"But, say, what were you doing inside that gem?" Angie tilted her head. "How long were you in there? Why were you put there? Why-?"

"There are many things to explain, sweetie," Solaris put a hand on Angie's shoulder. "But all you need to know right now, Is that as my daughter, you're the legitimate Queen of Hearts. It's your birthright to rule Mewni alongside the rest of the council."

"But I don't want to rule this dumpster," Angie stated. "I'm more than happy just being a humble police officer."

"Well, Sol's still a thing, so that could be arranged," Solaria frowned. "But for now, we need to get out of here."

Angie nodded in agreement, just in time for Solaria to notice her bandages. "What are those about?"

The redhead looked away and rubbed her arm. "Long story."

Then, she realized something. "Say, if I'm a Mewman Queen, does that mean I can do magic?"

Solaria raised an eyebrow. "Sure, why?"

Angie smiled widely.

 _ **Meanwhile, with Eclipsa and Hekapoo...**_

The Queen of Spades crashed on a wall and slid down as Hekapoo merged a pair of swords into scissors. She then lifted Eclipsa's head, revealing she had both some harsh bruises and burn scars, and placed the blades between her neck.

"I'm growing tired of playing with you, Eclipsa," Hekapoo sternly stated. "Now, let me ask you again: After giving you a taste of the most merciful beating you're going to get if you continue hunting the children, will you stay determined, or will you stop right here, right now?"

Eclipsa chuckled and spat:

"I'm not going to stop until the children and Febe's heads are one a pike overlooking Mewni, so Mewmanity can relax at the sight of their biggest threats dead!"

"Huh, you really were raised by Celena," Hekapoo shook her head. "Too bad you lack the power to backup your talk-"

"Hekapoo?!"

The fiery redhead turned around, and saw Meteora at the door, looking horrified.

Upon seeing her, Hekapoo took off the scissors and incinerated them into nothing.

"Hello there, Meteora," the mistress of scissors greeted as the hybrid ran to her mother's side. "I was just showing Eclipsa what will happen if she keeps chasing after the children."

Hekapoo glared at Eclipsa. "And even after showing her, she's still determined to hunt them."

The redhead patted Meteora's back. "But I'm sure you can get through her thick skull."

Meteora frowned. "What if I can't?"

However, Hekapoo had left right then and there, leaving Meteora to help Eclipsa get up.

"Thanks for helping me, Meteora," the woman said. "I don't know what I would do without you-"

"Mom, seriously, you need to stop with the "Children of the Commission" thing!" Meteora interjected. "You already saw what Hekapoo will do to you if you hurt Sol, whoever he is, and that's just the first of four beatings you'll get!"

Eclipsa waved her hand in a dismissive manner. "Doesn't matter, It'll be worth it as long as those abominations die in the end-"

"You'll be dead before you can even hurt them!" Meteora snapped. "And if you're especially unlucky, all of Mewni will soon follow!"

Eclipsa threw a glare at her daughter. "Meteora, do you want to help me or not?"

Meteora threw back a question of her own. "Why are you so determined to kill the children, Mother? What do you gain from it?!"

Eclipsa freed herself from her daughter's grasp and snapped, "The safety of Celena's kingdom!"

Meteora raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

The Queen of Spades rolled her eyes. "Mewni's safety!"

The Queen of Clubs was pushed aside by her Mother, who walked out of the room and started looking for Febe once again.

And despite not explicitly saying that, Meteora still managed to get a hint of what she wanted to do...

 _ **Then, at the Dungeons...**_

River, Star, Pony Head, and Mina continued fighting against the reformatory guards while the ex-Mewman kept an eye on the window.

"There has to be some way I can get up there," Mina said. "But how?"

"I could fly you up there myself, but I'm kinda busy!" Pony Head stated.

And then, in desperation, one of the guards ripped out his heart and threw it at River, who immediately kicked up to the window, causing it to explode and destroy it in the process.

"River, you're a genius!" Mina chirped. "Now all we need is a way to get me up there!"

Then, both Pony Head and Star eyed the remaining guards, the dead guard that ripped his heart, and the reinforcements that came soon after.

With this in mind, they got an idea.

Star and Pony Head surrounded the guards in a magic field, while Mina got on top of the dead guard and River lifted both of them, then threw them at the top of the field.

With that done, Star and Pony Head threw the guards down and undid the field as their hearts exploded, causing the guard and Mina to skyrocket through the window, successfully escaping the dungeons.

Pony Head soon followed Mina, and moments before the king and Star could rejoice, River was struck by an ice beam, trapping him inside a crystal shell.

And Star slowly turned as she realized who shot the beam: It was Moon, looking at Star and River with a red, glowing glare.

"Uh, hi Mom," Star nervously greeted. "This, uh, Isn't what it looks like?"

Moon narrowed her eyes, which turned even more red...

 _ **Back with Angie and Solaria...**_

The women walked down the hallway of queens as quietly as they could, whispering to eachother for good measure.

"So, I came here with one of my partners to try rescue Mina and bring her back to Earth," Angie said. "I wasn't exactly excited to do so, but Mina really is invaluable in her field, so we had to get her back as fast as possible."

"Is your partner a monster?" Solaria asked.

"... Yeah, but he's a nice guy overall," Angie replied. "Anyway, my cheeks started glowing with your marks, so they lead me to your room. Then Hekapoo helped me escape, I went to Celena's room, broke the gem keeping you trapped, and... Yeah, today's been a crazy day."

"And it'll only get worse from there," Solaria said with concern. "Is Eclipsa still chasing after you?"

"Indeed I am."

Solaria grabbed Angie and jumped away moments before a purple blast, whose explosion sent them flying away.

And of course, the one who shot the blast was none other than Eclipsa, who smirked smugly while aiming her finger gun at the pair.

"You know, Febe, after hiding all these years, I thought you'd be better at, you know, hiding!" Eclipsa scoffed. "I'm not complaining, though, I certainly appreciate you making my job easier."

Eclipsa walked towards the pair, but was forced to back away as Solaria shot a light blast at the queen, narrowly avoiding both the blast and the explosion as the bald queen hissed:

"Stay away from my daughter, Eclipsa!"

Recognizing the voice, Eclipsa's eyes widened. "Wait, is that you, Solaria?"

The bald queen remained silent, and stood defiantly in front of Angie, ready for anything the Queen of Spades could throw at her.

"And here I was, thinking you weren't going to show up," Eclipsa shook her head. "I guess It's just fitting, however, that you would rise from the dead as soon as Febe was in real danger."

"Febe-I mean, Angelica, go back to the entrance and get ready to leave!" Solaria ordered. "I'll keep Eclipsa occupied!"

"But-"

"Go!"

Not having the strength to either help or defy her Mother, Angie stood up and ran away, leaving Solaria and Eclipsa to stand against eachother.

"So, how have you been, sister?" Eclipsa asked, folding her arms. "And most importantly, who's Febe's father?"

"Should I feel flattered that you want to learn more about my daughter?" Solaria narrowed her eyes and grinned. "But, if you really want to know, then all I can tell you is that you already know who's the father."

"Vague and unclear, huh? I always hated that about you," Eclipsa summoned a pair of purple magic spheres. "But oh well, as long as it gives me an excuse to beat you up!"

Solaria gave her sister the "come at me" gesture as she boasted:

"You can try, sis, but you won't succeed!"

Angie ran until she crashed into another familiar face: Meteora.

"You!" Angie exclaimed. "You're Eclipsa's daughter!"

"Don't worry, Febe-I mean, Mrs. Diaz-I mean..." Meteora sighed and scratched her head. "Ugh, what am I supposed to call you?"

"Angie or Mrs. Diaz is fine, I don't want to be called by my Mewman name," Angie raised an eyebrow. "But why shouldn't I worry? Our mothers are fighting eachother as we speak, and yours certainly didn't seem like she was willing to talk things out!"

"I know, but I'm not like her: I'm on your side," Meteora stated. "Listen, I have an idea. You head back to the entrance with your partner, while I focus on keeping Moon busy with Star."

"What about Eclipsa?"

"She's stubborn like a mule: I could pull every trick in my book, and that still wouldn't convince her to leave you alone," Meteora sighed. "But that's just a bigger reason for you to run away while you still can!"

Angie looked at the ground and frowned, though she barely managed to think about it before Meteora grabbed her arm and dragged her with her to the entrance.

 _ **Solaria Vs. Eclipsa...**_

The Queen of the Void shot several purple blasts at Solaria, who dodged them effortlessly before sending out white blasts as Eclipsa, who managed to dodge most of them.

However, the last one hit her hard enough to send her into a wall, where Eclipsa regained her balance and lunged at Solaria, and engaged in a physical struggle with her.

A struggle that didn't last five seconds before Solaria won.

"Really, Eclipsa? Going physical already?" Solaria scoffed as she pinned her sister to the ground. "Did you already forget that I was always physically stronger than you?"

"No, I remember that," Eclipsa smirked. "Just like how I remember how cocky you were!"

Eclipsa charged a purple sphere in front of Solaria, forcing the bald queen to jump away.

However, Eclipsa took the chance to get up before shooting the blast, with Solaria shooting a white blast as well, with both blasts clashing and exploding upon contact, sending both Queens flying into walls.

"Give it up, Solaria!" Eclipsa barked as she got up. "You know that we'll be stuck on a stalemate if we keep this up!"

"In our base forms, yeah," Solaris smirked. "But I've always had one big advantage over you."

Solaria jumped up, and was enveloped in a Golden aura as she transformed into her Butterfly form: Now she sported six arms, a pair of golden wings with a sun-like pattern in them, and, for some reason, a scarf that extended to her knees.

"That's not fair!" Eclipsa snapped, flailing her arms up and down rapidly. "You know I can't do that!"

"You never wanted to do it either," Solaria scoffed. "After all, why else would you taint your ability to do so by pursuing the dark arts?"

Eclipsa's aura glew brighter. "I didn't know that would happen!"

The Queen of Spades tried to send purple blasts at her sister, but Solaria just spread her arms and generated a miniature sun, which she shot at her sister. The sun vanquished the blasts and forced Eclipsa to jump away as it hit the ground, with the resulting explosion sending her flying into a wall.

"Since when can you do that?!" Eclipsa snapped.

Solaria generated another sun as she smugly scoffed:

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

 _ **Back with Angie and Meteora...**_

The women reached the entrance, and Meteora dropped Angie there before she ran off to see how Moon was doing.

"Meteora, wait!" Angie called as she got up. "Dang it, she runs away faster than septarians."

"Yeah, tell me about it," Toffee remarked, looking at the hybrid queen as she ran. "Sometimes I wonder if she's faster than them."

And then Toffee noticed Angie's cheekmarks. "What's up with those?"

The woman touched her cheeks, and scratched the back of her head. "Well, apparently, I'm the legitimate Queen of Hearts of Mewni, and these are my cheekmarks."

The lizard man just stared at the woman, with that look that seemed both bewildered, yet curious. "Fine, I'll buy it, let's get outta here."

"But, what about Mina?" Angie inquired. "She's the reason we came here in the first place-"

"Mina already left, Angie, she's waiting for us outside," Toffee stated. "We have no reason to stay here."

"You don't, but I do," Angie stated. "Eclipsa wants me dead, and I don't think she'll stop there. She'll target Marco, the girls, practically the rest of my family! And she won't stop until they're dead..."

Angie narrowed her eyes. "So I'm not leaving until I give her a clear message: I'm not going to let her hurt my family without a fight!"

And so, the real Queen of Hearts ran back to the hallway, with Toffee shaking his head with concern before he left the castle.

 _ **Back with Solaria and Eclipsa...**_

The Queen of Spades hid behind some pillars while her sister, still in her Butterfly form, looked for her.

"Hey, Eclipsa, weren't you going to face me?" Solaria scoffed. "Where are you now? Come out, come out, wherever you are."

And then Angie arrived. "Mom!"

Hearing her daughter's voice, Solaria flew to her. "Febe, why are you still here?!"

"I want to try talking with Eclipsa," Angie explained, earning a baffled look from her Mother. "I know, It's a crazy idea, but-"

"That's not crazy, sweetie, that's impossible!" Solaria folded her arms. "Eclipsa won't listen to anything you have to say."

"At least let me try," Angie clasped her hands. "Please."

Solaria took a deep breath, smiled, and nodded before she flew away from the castle. With her away, Eclipsa came out of hiding.

"What do you want, Febe?" the woman asked as Angie walked to her.

"I want to try convince you that there's a way we can make this work," Angie answered. "After I show you why I'd prefer it if we did this as calmly as possible, of course."

Eclipsa raised an eyebrow, but as soon as Angie removed her bandages and revealed her dark spots, the Queen of the Void suddenly understood.

"So, your darkness has spread since we last met," Eclipsa scratched her chin. "And judging from the portions, one more freakout or breakdown should be enough to turn you into a monster."

Angie raised an eyebrow. "You don't sound surprised?"

"Why should I? This day has left me exhausted with it's twists and turns," Eclipsa sighed. "First, Solaria turns out to have been alive all along, then her daughter turns out to have been hiding as a maginuch all this time, and now I have to think of the possibility of either you or your son being Sol."

Eclipsa sighed and rubbed her temples. "I know it didn't happen in that order, but you get what I mean."

Angie narrowed her eyes. "Listen up, Eclipsa-"

"No, you listen up, Febe!" Eclipsa snapped, flying towards Angie until they were face-to-face. "After everything you and Solaria did to Mewni, to me, there's nothing you can do that can convince me to spare you!"

Eclipsa grabbed Angie by the neck of her shirt and hissed, while looking straight into her eyes:

"So you either die so Solaria's proof of rebellion can finally cease to exist, or you succumb to the darkness and turn into the monster you are!"

Angie punched Eclipsa right in the face, sending a couple teeth flying off in the process. And before she gave the queen a chance to recover, Angie grabbed her shadow and sent her flying off into a wall, crashing hard enough to send it crumbling to pieces.

And as soon as Eclipsa got back up, Angie put her hands close together and chanted:

 _Primordial darkness infecting my blood,_  
 _Which changed my life from normal to odd,_  
 _To channel your power, I humbly say,_  
 _Help me defeat the dark witch today,_

A dark sphere materialized between Angie's palms as the darkness surrounding her body slowly vanished. And as she continued chanting her spell, Eclipsa mentally chanted a spell too, causing her tainted veins to start glowing.

 _Though the harsh reality is that I was never human,_  
 _I refuse to live my life as a disgusting mewman,_

The sphere grew bigger as Angie's darkness vanished, and she lifted it to keep her balance. Eclipsa, on her part, raised her arms as they glew brighter and were surrounded by electricity.

 _The dark witch thinks she'll win,_  
 _But this shall prove her wrong!_

Angie's cheekmarks started glowing.

 _It's time that she listens to-_

Eclipsa shot a purple blast from her arms as Angie yelled:

 _My Shadow Song!_

The woman threw the sphere at Eclipsa, with the beam only managing to slow it down and make it grow, to the point Eclipsa barely registered what was going on before she was struck by the sphere, causing it to explode.

And the resulting explosion was so big, that part of the castle exploded as well, with the structure falling down as it caught the eye of the nearby Mewmen.

And not just them, either: Solaria and Toffee looked at the smoke cloud in shock, the lizard man uttering "Angie" with worry as Solaria outright flew towards the cloud.

Finally, far off in the distance, Lekmet watched the sight of the castle from on top of a cliff, a portal open behind him. He smiled at the view and nodded before walking through the portal, closing it afterwards.

As for Angie, the woman came out of the rubble, her dark markings back on her body as she coughed.

"Febe!" Solaria exclaimed as she flew to her daughter's side. "Are you okay?!"

Angie nodded. "Yeah, I think so."

Solaria then took a look around at the destroyed site, with the fire among some of the rubble making it clear ir was Angie's doing. So she turned back to her and asked:

"What did you do?"

"I don't know, I remembered how Brittney explained to me how she did her magic, so I materialized my darkness in a sphere, and then I threw it at Eclipsa," Angie explained, scratching her head. "I didn't expect it to pack that much of a punch, though."

Then, she realized something. "How's Eclipsa?!"

"Don't worry, she'll be fine," Solaria replied with a dismissive wave of her hand. "She was in her base form, so it would take a lot of stuff to actually kill her."

And then Solaria noticed the markings. "Febe... Did you mess with the dark arts too?"

Angie nervously looked at her markings, then tried covering them as she answered, "Remember that "long story" I briefly mentioned? It just got a whole lot longer."

Not having time for that, Solaria grabbed her daughter and flew away, just before some of the rubble started shaking...

And then Eclipsa's hand came out of it...

 ** _Sometime Later,_** _ ** ** _at Star's Bedroom..._****_

Moon and Meteora stood in front of Star, who had been tied to her own bed.

"Hey, I know I did some bad things, and yeah, Mina kinda did escape thanks to me," Star sheepishly remarked. "But is tying me up really necessary?"

"Be quiet!" Moon snapped, her eyes glowing red. "It's one thing to give us flashbacks about the Bloody Mewmans, but then you go a step beyond and help my Mina escape-"

Meteora slapped Moon, somehow turning both her eyes and herself back to normal.

"Thanks, I needed that," Moon said. "Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that, while tying you down isn't necessary, we need to be sure that you won't run off and bring back something troublesome again!"

"Yeah, first you brought Febe, then who? Sol?" Meteora said.

"I brought Febe?" Star inquired. "When? All I remember is coming with Mrs. Diaz and-"

"Mrs. Diaz IS Febe!" Moon and Meteora stated.

It took Star a couple seconds to register the revelation. "What?!"

"Ugh, we don't have time for this," Moon sighed. "We have to set up a scouting unit and have them search for Solaria-"

"Don't bother."

Everybody turned around and saw Eclipsa wobbling her way towards them, occassionally clinging to the wall for balance.

"Febe escaped. Solaria escaped. Mina escaped, and by extension, the Ace of Clubs. Star betrayed us. And the Aces of both the Diamond and Spades are still out there. None of that matters right now."

Meteora and Moon raised an eyebrow, prompting Eclipsa to explain:

"As long as the children of the commission are killed before they can carry on with their destructive destinies, then we can leave everything for later."

Eclipsa smirked.

"And I think I know where to start looking."


	28. New Looks, New Truths

**Yes, I said I was going to return to this story when the show returned. Yes, I know I'm breaking my word. But, with a couple factors (Chains of Reality being in hiatus again, having the time actually finish this, and feeling like it's about time the story continued) and the most recent preview shown of season 4 (which I haven't seen myself, but have seen The Roundtable's video about it...), well, let me just say:**

 **I'm kinda sad that the destruction of Mewni is going to happen in this fic, and not in the main story. That's how much I dislike the Mewmans now.**

 **So, why not try to do some wish fulfillment as we finally kinda-sorta-begin the war I've been building up to forever?**

 **But first, let's answer some reviews:**

 **1) Guest:**

 *** I can't give such a blatant spoiler man, but the fact that the Clubs fragment reacted in St. Meteora's should give you a clue as to who is there.**

 *** What didn't Celena do to Eclipsa, good lord...**

 **2) Nobody245:**

 *** You don't know how much I needed those encouraging words. Between the moving (which we did have), insecurity with my writing, and the ideas that have been shelved in my head, I really needed something to keep me going. In fact, I was actually thinking of either cancelling or putting this story for adoption for a while now. I'm glad to say, that's no longer the case, and while I can't promise anything, I will try my hardest to see this story through the end.**

 **3) SonicE1337 (Chapter 1):**

 *** I just wonder, in 27-28 chapters, how long will your interest last?**

 **4) SonicE1337 (Chapter 2):**

 *** Pointing out inconsistencies would be appreciated too. And now that I think about it, yeah, I agree, some stuff... feels a little forced. Then again, the story was originally going to be a one-shot that I turned into a multi-shot, so it obviously was going to take me a while to iron some things out.**

 **5) SonicE1337 (Chapter 3):**

 *** Hekastar (yay, ship name! XD) was meant to be a fluctuating relationship, sort of. They start as lovers, but ones that can be sarcastic with each other, until... well, this arc right here.**

 *** Jackie and Mina working together... interesting.**

 **And now, to the chapter.**

* * *

The sun rose high in Echo Creek, and its sunlight entered through the Diaz household's windows as, in Marco's room, the boy and the girls soon woke up... Only to find themselves surrounded by their friends: The cheerleaders, Alfonzo and Ferguson, and so on.

"Oh, hi guys, good morning," Marco greeted with a yawn. "What are you doing here?"

"And why do you look so worried?" Jackie added.

"Um, well," Alfonzo stuttered as Ferguson helped Sabrina and Chantelle search through the book. "It might be better if you see it for yourself."

Once the girls found the spell, they said in unison:

"Mirro Materialis."

Alfonzo and Ferguson contorted their shape as they merged and created a big mirror, allowing the group to see their looks had... Changed, a bit:

Marco now had pink skin on the front, and purple on the back, with his hair now having hot pink highlights.

Jackie's hair had gotten a little bit more purple, represented as purple spots appearing all over it, and not only did she have blue blushing marks, but the rest of her arms and parts of her body were turning light blue.

Brittney had a pair of horns slowly protruding from both her forehead and the sides of her head, and her fingers turned into a charcoal color.

And Janna? She looked normal.

"I'm pink!" Marco exclaimed.

"I'm partially light blue!" Jackie shouted.

"I'm growing horns!" Brittney's cried.

"I'm normal!" Janna whined.

Marco leaned closer to the beanie-wearing girl and whispered, "That's because of the glamour, remember?"

The girl remembered and nodded. "Oh, right."

Marco then turned back and looked at his palms, before looking at the back of his hands. The palms were pink, the back of his hands were purple.

"When did I turn into this?" he asked out loud.

"This morning, pretty much."

Everybody turned around and saw Mr. Diaz entering the room, then gesturing the guys to leave him and the kids alone. The students nodded and promptly left, allowing the man to sit down next to the teenagers.

"What do you mean I looked like this in the morning?" Marco raised an eyebrow. "You mean, I just turned into this without warning?"

"Pretty much, yeah," Rafael nodded. "I checked you and the girls earlier this morning, and you... Looked like that."

"And you're not worried?!" Jackie exclaimed, narrowing her eyes. "Marco looks like a humanoid octopus and I look like I got partial frostbite!"

"Yeah, and where's Mrs. Diaz?" Brittney asked. "Usually both you and her come greet us."

"Yeah, about that..." Rafael looked elsewhere and scratched the back of his head. "She didn't stay last night-"

"Mom-I mean, Mrs. Diaz didn't return yesterday?!" Janna asked worriedly.

"She did, but she had to leave after telling me something important," Rafael looked elsewhere and scratched the back of his head. "And I'd appreciate it if you didn't ask any further."

Marco glanced at the girls' looks, then nodded before stating:

"We need to ask Globgor what happened."

Rafael flinched as the girls nodded in agreement, then hastily said:

"B-Before you go, there's someone who wants to see you!"

The teens tilted their heads, and Rafael got up and said "Follow me" as he left the room, and the group followed him.

As they walked, the girls briefly glanced at Marco, who seemed fairly neutral compared to yesterday. The only one who kept staring at him was Jackie, however, and she couldn't help but grow a but worried.

"How's your ponytail doing?" Jackie asked. "Has it healed yet?"

Marco unsheathed his ponytail, revealing it was about halfway there. He then retracted it and answered, "More or less, I still need to rest a bit before it's fully healed."

"Figures, the monster that ripped it off must've done quite the damage," Janna remarked before cracking her knuckles. "Next time we see him, we gotta make him pay!"

"The monster was corrupted at the moment: He probably doesn't even remember what happened," Marco answered. "He probably would remember what he saw before getting corrupted, though..."

The team remained silent afterwards as they reached the backyard, and looked up to see a shadowy figure at the rooftop.

The figure spread its wings and jumped off the rooftop, landing in front of the teens and revealing themselves to be a familiar, goat-like figure.

"Lekmet!" Brittney chirped as she ran up to the chairman and hugged him. "It's been forever since I last saw you!"

Lekmet returned the hug and brushed Brittney's hair as the girl rubbed her cheeks against his chest.

"It's only really been a couple days since you saw him, Brittney," Janna pointed, shrugging as she added, "There's no need to act like it's been years since you last saw eachother."

The beanie-wearing girl's remark was quietly ignored.

"So that's the fabled Lekmet Brittney spoke about before?" Marco scratched his chin as he took a closer look at the goat-like creature. "He does look the way she described him."

"What's Lekmet doing here?" Jackie asked as Brittney and Lekmet continued showering eachother with affection.

"He's here to serve as your guardian," Rafael answered. "At least, that's what his crystal-headed pal told me."

Brittney separated from the goat. "Rhombulus was here too?"

"Yeah, first Lekmet arrived to settle here, and then Rhombulus came and translated his bleating for me," Rafael explained. "As it seems, you're going to start facing some harsh truths and difficult challenges ahead, and that won't stop the Mewmans from hunting you, for whatever reason, so he'll deal with the Mewmans for the moment."

Marco walked closer to the humanoid goat and extended his hand. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Lekmet."

Lekmet shook hands with Marco as he scanned him, looking concerned.

"I know, I'm pink, but we're gonna go see Globgor soon to see if he can fix it," Marco shrugged. "Or at least, we hope he at least knows why I look like this."

Lekmet nodded and released Brittney, who went back to her friends-siblings before Rafael remembered:

"Oh right, you have school today."

Naturally, the team were baffled. "What?!"

"Well, long story short, Mina Loveberry was rescued last night, and they decided to resume classes because of it."

While the team were shocked by the news, the only one to outright whine about it was Janna:

"We barely had a few days to relax! Couldn't they have waited rescued her a day or two later!?"

"Well, there's no use whining about it now," Jackie frowned. "But what are we going to do with our looks? We can't show up at the school looking like this."

"Our world has grown used to the presence of monsters, and while we haven't met many monster hybrids, I'm sure most people would know better than to mess with someone who can suck souls with a single glare," Rafael answered, oblivious to the disapproving glare he got from Lekmet. "I'm sure everything will be fine. Now go to your room and prepare your backpacks, I'll go make breakfast."

The teenagers hesitantly nodded, and they bid farewell to Lekmet as they prepared to go to school.

Clearly, life wasn't going to give them a break anytime soon.

"Can we at least hitch a ride on Nachos?" Janna asked, hoping there was a faint glimmer of hope in the dragoncycle. "It could help us avoid unwanted attention."

"Nachos can only carry up to two people, Janna," Marco bluntly stated.

And so, with no other options, the team bid farewell to Mr. Diaz and walked to the school. The resulting walk was fairly silent... Until:

"Hey, girls?" Marco asked, getting the girls' attention. "Do you mind if I ask you something?"

"Let me guess," Janna smiled smugly. "You want to know if we think the changes will start to go from external to internal?"

"Nah, I'm pretty sure that's a given," Marco stated with a casual tone. "No, I just wanted to know... If you're still okay with the whole "harem" idea."

The girls stopped right on their tracks, followed by Marco stopping as soon as they turned to look at him.

"Where did this question come from?" Jackie asked.

Marco blinked twice. "Well, I asked it, so-"

"I think what Jackie means is, why are you asking us that now?" Janna clarified. "We've been doing this for years, but this is the first time you've ever asked us if we want to keep it up. Why?"

"Well..." Marco remembered Jackie and Janna's angry reaction to Star, and hastily said, "I just thought it was about time we discussed whether to keep it up or not."

Janna put a hand on her hip, Jackie folded her arms, and Brittney looked at the ground, with Marco frowning at the girls' silence.

"I get it, that was a bad time to bring it up," the boy said, feigning a smile. "Sorry about it, I won't bring it up again."

Then he started walked again. "Let's keep going."

The girls exchanged looks and sighed before they followed Marco to the school, where they found Mrs. Skullnick guarding the door.

"Hello, Mrs. Skullnick," Marco greeted.

"Mr. Diaz?" Skullnick remarked in surprise before she noticed the rest of the team. "Lynn-Thomas? Wong? Ordonia?"

"Yeah, we stand out a bit, don't we?" Marco sheepishly smiled. "We were going to go see Professor Mina, see if she lets us see Globgor to find out what happened."

Skullnick nodded. "Sure, she's at her office. Go there before you go anywhere else."

Marco nodded. "Got it, thanks Mrs. Skullnick."

The team walked inside, but Mrs. Skullnick stopped Marco, grabbed his shoulder, and whispered to his ear:

"If anybody starts slandering you, Mr. Diaz, don't hesitate to fight back."

The boy nodded with a confused look, and quickly left as soon as Mrs. Skullnick released him.

 ** _Mina's Office..._**

The purple-haired teacher flipped a pen around repeatedly, trying to distract herself from the insane number of events that happened last night.

Most important of those being Solaria and the true Queen of Hearts' return.

"It's only a matter of time now," Mina said with discomfort. "With Febe and Solaria out, they'll-"

Then, the team opened the door and went inside.

"Hi, Professor Mina," they greeted in unison.

"Hello there, Mr. Dia-" Mina said, before screaming her heart out at Marco's new look. "You're pink!"

Marco smiled sheepishly. "Yeah..."

"Why are you pink?!" Mina asked, pulling her hair. "In fact, how long have you been pink?! Last time we met, you had normal skin!"

"I know, and don't worry, the pink skin only appeared today," Marco replied. "We're going to go see Globgor in order to find out what's wrong. That is, if you're okay if we do that before the classes start."

"Fine, under one condition," Mina stated. "I'm coming with you."

"It's okay, Mina," Rafael said, waving his hand. "I'm sure Globgor will let us go see him right away. And if not, I don't think the monsters will bother us as we try to go up."

The ex-Mewman frowned. "It's not the monsters that worry me."

The team raised an eyebrow. "Then who are you worried about?"

 _ **Globgor's Tower, Somewhere Near the Top Level...**_

Angie and Solaria sat on the ground, the latter watching as the former held her hands close to eachother and generated a sphere made of light magic, which started flickering a little.

Angie managed to stabilize the sphere before dissipating it, letting her catch her breath.

"Very good, sweetie, you're starting to get the hang of light magic!" Solaria remarked, clapping as her daughter fell on her knees and caught her breath. "Although, it seems to be taking more out of you than I expected. Is something wrong?"

"Well,I've never practiced light magic before," Angie answered with a sheepish smile. "It's mostly been shadow magic, courtesy of Globgor."

Solaris frowned.

"What about you, Mom?" Mrs. Diaz asked. "You don't feel uncomfortable inside a tower filled with monsters?"

The woman narrowed her closed eyes. "I'm fine. It's the monsters who are probably uncomfortable with me being around."

Angie looked elsewhere and rolled her eyes. "Considering you threatened to cut the throat of the first monster you "saw..."

"It was a true monster, Angelica!" Solaria exclaimed in response. "The only monsters you should trust are explicitly humanoid ones!"

"What about monsters who are right in the middle, like Septarians?" Angie pointed out sternly. "Should I trust them or not?"

"Wait until they show their true colors, then decide for yourself," Solaria rubbed her temples. "But we're wasting time as we speak, let's get back to your magic training."

Angie sighed and leaned back until she hit the ground.

 _ **The Top Level...**_

"I wasn't ressurrected properly?"

The team looked in a mix of shock and disbelief at the behemoth known as Globgor looked elsewhere and scratched the back of his head.

"Besides a large sum of lifeforce, a wight needs to absorb the soul of their murderer in order to be properly revived back into their previous state," Globgor sorrowfully explained. "I didn't want to tell you this, simple because I couldn't take the risk of one of Mewni's queens' being killed-"

"Yes, uh, about that," Marco scratched his head and looked elsewhere. "Star... Isn't really... The Queen of Hearts."

Globgor's eyes were obscured, and as he leaned down closer to Marco's sight, his four eyes glew with intense hatred and rage as he asked:

"What?"

"A-Allow me to explain, Your Majesty!" Mina exclaimed, jumping in front of the team and spreading her arms wide. "Is what I would say if I knew what they were talking about, hehe."

"Listen, Globgor, my wife interrogated a Mewman last night, and she revealed that the Mewman wa know as Star... isn't the real Queen of Hearts," Rafael explained sadly. "The real queen is someone apparently named Febe."

"Febe? That's..." Globgor leaned back and shook his head. "I can't believe the Mewmans got away with such a lie for hundreds of years! Celena, I can believe, but not Mewmanity as a whole!"

"Calm down, Globgor, please," Rafael requested. "I'm sure there's a way we can fix this."

The behemoth sternly looked at the man and nodded. "Yes, there is one way. And for that way to occur, I need you to do something for me."

"Anything for you," Mr. Diaz answered.

Globgor's eyes lit up, and so did Rafael's, with the duo talking telepathically as Marco and the team watched them in confusion.

"Are they talking with telepathy?" Marco asked. "Is that something Globgor can do?"

"I don't think that was ever established before," Mina said. "Then again, if we did know about this beforehand, it wouldn't have made me any less terrified of him."

"You're scared of Globgor?" Janna asked with a teasing smile. "The greatest ex-Mewman warrioress is scared of someone?"

"It makes sense when that someone is the freaking king of monsters!" Mina snapped, before noticing Marco was starting to breath heavily. "Now, you three, keep an eye on Marco. He doesn't look good."

Marco clutched his chest and dropped to his knees. "And I'm not feeling so good either."

The girls surrounded the seemingly exhausted boy as Globgor and Rafael finished their telepathic conversation, with Mr. Diaz nodding and stating "I got it" before Globgor covered him with his hands, then channeled some of his magic inside them.

With that done, the giant monster threw the man hard enough to not only crash through the walls with no notable injury, but also somehow cross through dimensions, landing him straight at Mewni square.

The Mewmans surrounded him as Rafael opened his eyes, which had become golden, and he let out a titanic roar, not only shaking the entire kingdom, but also making it heard across the city of Echo Creek, where a couple of people who heard it gained markings across their bodies similar to Globgor's.

Among the ones who got the markings were the cheerleaders, Alfonzo, Ferguson, and some monsters on the tower, like Toffee.

"Looks like we can finally begin the assault," Toffee remarked, looking at his reflection in a mirror. "Somebody call Rasticore and tell him to open a portal to Mewni."

The lizard man took off his suit, and replaced it with a cloak as he finished:

"The Children of Globgor are finally going to Mewni."


	29. Attack On Mewni I

**Before anybody asks, yes, we're keeping the Friday schedule. I just wanted to update this early to freak you out, 'cause you know, Halloween. XD**

 **Okay, last chapter gave hints about the war on Mewni beginning, now this chapter is going to kick-start it. And let me just be blunt: This little arc right here is going to be the culmination of most of the foreshadowing bits, both the blatant, the subtle, and the "feels-like-I-pulled-it-out-of-my-butt-at-the-last-second," across the story, so yeah, this is gonna be really freaking nuts.**

 **Also, remember when I said the next arc was gonna be Mina-centric? Well, she still has some sort of relevance in this arc, but she's not the main focus. No, that will have to be left for another arc, sadly enough.**

 **Now, for some irrelevant talk, I read some information about the Magic Book of Spells... book, and... well, let's jut say I wasn't expecting some of the stuff. It's not anything that makes me wanna rewrite this entire story just to play a bit more with the ideas presented there, but it's still interesting.**

 **Anyway, let's answer some reviews:**

 **1) Lelcar: It's not that I have a hate... that... for Mewni, I'm just really upset at what they've done: Been racist to monsters since season 1, covering up Meteora's existence, defaming one of their own queens just for dating and breeding with a monster, treating Marco with little to no respect even after helping fend off Meteora... wow, the show really does a better job to show that Mewmans are jerks than I do. XD**

 *** I'll admit, that's all on me for deciding to leave the Mewman's bad actions mostly in the background and supplementary materials, rather than the main story. I really need to work on my problem with focus, and I should've worked on it right from the start.**

 **2) Nobody245: Let's just say he told him the harsh truth... and what could happen if they didn't attack Mewni first.**

 **And now, to the chapter.**

* * *

It was a calm night in the kingdom of Mewni, and unlike the last few times, all of the royalty of Mewni were sleeping, including Star Butterfly, the fake Queen of Hearts.

Though, going by her movement and frowned eyebrows, she wasn't having the most pleasent of dreams.

She was walking through a large, black forest, with both blue and red flowers all over the place. Star was wearing clothing befitting of a prince, and the girl couldn't help but wonder what was more offensive:

The fact she was wearing something befitting of the lesser gender in Mewman culture, or the fact she was wearing something befitting someone of a lower class than her.

Anyway, the prince-queen continued walking across the forest until she came across some sort of bed in the middle of nowhere, with a cloaked figure resting on top of it.

With a closer look, Star managed to see that there was a tome in the bed that read:

"A kiss of true love will wake up the princess."

Star didn't take long to connect the dots: She was in some sort of fairy tale, playing the role of the prince whose true love kiss could wake up the "sleeping beauty" of a princess.

It could also be prophetic, but nah, when has that ever happened?

So Star went to the figure, unveiled their face, and as the dream ended, she noticed the princess was a familiar person:

"She" was none other than Marco Diaz.

 _ **Back in Reality...**_

"Star?! Come on, Star, wake up!"

The fake queen got up and rubbed her eyes, clearing her vision well enough to show her that it was her mother calling her name.

"Mom?" Star asked. "Why did you wake me up? Did something happen?"

Moon sighed. "You'll have to see it for yourself."

The mother-daughter duo ran to the balcony, where Eclipsa and Meteora were also there, witnessing a scene playing in the kingdom square:

A big, muscular man with small legs, with markings similar to that of Globgor, stood in the square, surrounded by cloaked figures with, at least going by the glowing marks, the same markings as him.

"Kingdom of Mewni, I'm Rafael Diaz," the buffed-up man proclaimed. "Commander of the Children of Globgor."

"That bastard really did get around!" Eclipsa yelled in sheer rage.

"I don't think the title's that literal, Mom." Meteora remarked.

"We've come here to deliver you an ultimatum," Rafael continued. "Bring the Council of Queens so they apologize for the lies they've been spitting out for milleniums, and we'll only partially destroy Mewni."

Rafael clenched his fist. "But if they refuse to come out, then Mewni will be obliterated."

Then, his fist was engulfed un glowing darkness. "And Mewmanity shall go extinct!"

Rafael punched the ground, unleashing several pillars of purple light across the ground, causing an earthquake as the screams of a hundred Mewmans filled the atmosphere.

With no hesitation, River pressed the alarm, and all the available knights and squires went into the streets to evacuate as many Mewmans as they possibly could.

These included Kelly, Tad, and Higgs, the last one looking utterly terrified.

"Bring Mewmanity to extinction?!" Higgs exclaimed, ruffling her hair. "T-That man must be bluffing, right?!"

"If he really is a servant of Globgor, then he has no reason to bluff!" Tad stated as he glared at Higgs. "The only thing we can do now is evacuate as many Mewmans as possible!"

"And we should better do it before he starts attacking," Kelly added. "I mean, his glare really makes it clear he won't wait forever."

The trio turned to look at Rafael's glare, and quickly continued the evacuation while the man kept staring at them sternly, at least until he actually had to move to block an incoming statue thrown at him.

"We meet again, Mr. Diaz," River stated. "Although, these aren't the best circumstances for our reunion."

"It's sad indeed, that we meet again not as friends, but as enemies," Rafael cracked his knuckles. "However, I will tell you right now: Globgor won't have mercy on your kind or your kingdom, not anymore. Be sure to tell that to the council after I knock you out."

River smirked and flexed his muscles until he reached a level of buffness similar to Rafael's. Not only that, but his eyes became completely white, and he gained the ability to fly. Somehow.

"That's only if you manage to defeat me!"

The king flew straight for Rafael, who remained stoic as he charged a punch and threw it, clashing with the king hard enough to send a shockwave across the kingdom.

A shockwave that could even be felt inside the castle, as the council, who were running to find a hiding spot, found out.

"What was that?!" Eclipsa exclaimed.

"There's only one person I know who can deliver a shockwave like that, and it's River!" Moon remarked. "He must be fighting Mr. Diaz right now!"

Eclipsa folded her arms. "Okay, before we do anything else, how screwed is he?"

Star shrugged. "I'm sure Dad will go easy on Mr. Diaz unless he-"

"I'm talking about your father, Star," Eclipsa dryly corrected.

Star shrugged off the comment and scratched her chin. "I don't get it, I made a deal with Globgor where he promised he wouldn't hurt or destroy Mewni if we didn't hurt Marco. And I made sure to tell you to do the same, right?"

The rest of the council nodded.

And with that, only one question popped up in Star's mind:

"How strong is Globgor?"

"Well, how do I put this without causing mass hysteria?" Eclipsa twiddled her fingers. "He's... uh... equivalent to a hundred monster-form Meteoras."

Meteora's eyes widened as she said, "We're screwed."

"No, not yet, at least," Star rebutted. "If we join forces with monsterkind, we can-"

"Join forces with the monsters?!" the women exclaimed in shock.

"Why are you acting like it's something too far-fetched?" Star questioned in frustration. "We're facing the literal end of Mewni! Now's not the time to be picky about our allies!"

"But Star, most of monsterkind wants nothing to do with Mewni," Moon remarked. "And even if they were willing to help you, there's no way to believe they'd help the council or mewmanity as a whole."

"Even if that's the case, I'm not going to stand still and watch my home fall. You wsnt to know why?" Star turned to Moon. "Because I'm not a fidgety control freak who spends way too much effort on one single person, rather than the whole kingdom she's supposed to rule."

Moon looked at the ground in shame as Star turned to Eclipsa and stated:

"Or an old, racist grandma with the mindset of a baby, who'd rather alineate herself from any allies than make them... Well, allies!"

Eclipsa narrowed her eyes as Star turned to Meteora and said, with a tone of disappointment:

"Or what's essentially, potentially the strongest being Mewmanity has at their side, who's reluctance to reach her full power makes her practically useless!"

"But Star, you heard what Mom said: Dad is a hundred times stronger than me in my strongest form," Meteora frowned. "I would need to absorb the souls of nearly every Mewman in Mewni before I could stand a chance, and you know what I think about doing that."

Star narrowed her eyes. "How does that change the fact you're useless?"

Meteora took a step back.

"Anyway, I'm none of those things: I'm Star Butterfly, Fake Queen of Hearts," Star bluntly stated as she walked towards the open window. "And even if I'm not the real queen, if Mewni's going to fall..."

Star spread her arms and activated her Butterfly form as she proclaimed:

"I'll fall with it, but not without a fight!"

Star jumped out of the window and flew straight towards the rampaging Globgor, with the rest or the council looking in shock at her decision...

Although, Moon's shock quickly turned into pride as she walked closer to the window.

"Moon, what are you doing?!" Meteora exclaimed.

Moon promptly spread her wings, which looked more like dragon wings than butterfly wings, as she stated:

"I'm not going to let Star face off against Globgor alone."

"You know it won't matter, right?!" Eclipsa exclaimed. "The most you'll be able to do is stall for time!"

Moon smiled. "I'm pretty sure that's the idea."

The Queen of Diamonds flew away, leaving the Mother-Daughter duo to exchange looks, knowing they had to do something.

"Desperate situations demand desperate measures," Eclipsa stated.

"I'll go see if the Mewmans have been evacuated," Meteora said. "You go see if the Magic High Commission can help too."

The duo nodded and ran off to do their part, with no hesitation in the slightest.

The war for Mewni had begun...

 _ **Meanwhile, back at The Tower...**_

The girls surrounded Marco as he continued groaning in pain, while Mina, despite shaking both on the inside and the outside, spoke sternly to Globgor:

"Your Monstrosity, I know the Mewmans have done a lot of terrible things; Lie, discriminate, even act barbaric on occassion. But going down to their level by initiating a war that will destroy Mewni won't do anything!"

"Wrong, Loveberry," the king of monsters stated, leaning closer towards the frightened woman. "This declaration of war has two purposes: To finally give Mewmanity a piece of their own medicine."

Globgor turned to face the pained Marco, frowning as he finished, "And to try and avoid Marco's fate."

Hearing this, Brittney couldn't help but ask, "What fate?"

The monster king sighed and explained:

"The guy you know as Marco Diaz wasn't born with that name. And the other name you may know him for, Marco Diaz Junior, isn't his true birth name, either-"

"Spill the beans already!" Janna snapped, narrowing her eyes. "It's because of you he's in pain right now! The least you could is tell us-"

"He is Sol Butterfly."

Everybody turned around and saw none other than Hekapoo walking out of a portal, smiling with smug pride as she finished:

"The Sun of Destruction."

Janna and Marco winced, while Brittney and Jackie turned to them, and the latter asked, "What's she talking about?"

"And most importantly," Brittney said, clutching her chest. "Who are you?"

"My name is Hekapoo, Great Magical Being of fire, teleportation, omnipresence, crafting, and a billion other titles I don't feel like tackling on," Hekapoo answered as she walked towards the team. "And I'm also Sol, aka Marco's, godmother."

The girls barely got time to process that information before Hekapoo gave them another shocking revelation:

"And, in a way, you could consider me and my friends your godparents too."

Brittney shivered as Hekapoo turned to her. "Thanatos."

Then she turned to Jackie, whose hair spiked as she got ready to attack the woman. "Andromeda."

And finally, Janna blinked twice as Hekapoo glanced at her. "Alcatraz."

Hekapoo clasped her hands and proclaimed:

"You four are the children of the Magic High Commission. Entities beyond the mortals of most dimensions, and both our successors, and proud "descendants."

Before she got to spill any more beans, Hekapoo was attacked by a sphere of light and dark energy aimed at her, with the explosion seemingly stunning her long enough to allow Mina to kick her right in the face.

The team turned to see the source of the sphere were Solaria and Mrs. Diaz, both their cheekmarks glowing as they aimed their palms at the interdimensional redhead.

"M-Mom?" Marco blurted, getting Angie's attention. "You're... a Mewman?"

Angie's cheekmarks stopped glowing as she realized her cover was blown. "I-It's a long story, sweetie."

And then, after sending Mina flying away, Hekapoo teleported behind Marco and coldly stated:

"One you won't get to hear if you stay like this."

She grabbed the boy by the neck, opened a portal, then threw him through said portal before closing it, with the girls barely getting to react in return.

"Marco!" everybody exclaimed... except Solaria and Hekapoo, obviously.

"Where did you sent him!?" Globgor snapped at the redhead, shifting down to a smaller-but still quite tall-size.

"Calm down, "Globby Gory," I sent him to a place where he can recuperate once his primitive instincts kick in," Hekapoo explained before opening a portal for Globgor. "Don't mind him, there's still a plan we have to execute, remember? So go ahead and get ready to do your part."

The king of monsters turned to face the girls, Mina, Mrs. Diaz, and Solaria looking at him with shock, with the size shifter lowering and shaking his head as he said:

"I'm sorry."

He jumped through the portal, and Hekapoo closed it as a familiar face burst through the wall: Lekmet, who landed in front of the girls, snarling at the scissor mistress.

"Well, if it isn't my old friend, Lekmet," Hekapoo smugly said. "What? You're not even going to say hello to your goddaughter?"

Lekmet flinched and turned to see Brittney, clasping her hands and frowning as she asked:

"Lekmet, she said all four of us: Marco, Jackie, Janna, and I, are the Magic High Commission's godchildren... is that true?"

Unable to actually speak, the winged goat man shook his head and returned to glaring at Hekapoo.

"Man, what a nice family reunion!" the redhead giggled. "I can't wait to see Rhombulus and Omnitraxus' reactions!"

And then, she got an idea. "In fact, why even wait?"

Hekapoo snapped her fingers, and everything turned black and white before the girls, Mrs. Diaz, Mina, Solaria, Lekmet and herself were transported elsewhere.

In Lekmet, Solaria, and Hekapoo's case, they were in a cliff overlooking the kingdom of Mewni... with a shack nearby.

"Where did you take us, Hekapoo?!" Solaria snapped. "In fact, where did you take everybody!?"

"I took the girls to places where they can achieve their true selves, in a sense. I also sent Mina and Febe to Mewni so they can either help with the war effort, or waste time trying to avoid it," Hekapoo folded her arms. "And I sent us three here because a fight between Lekmet and I should be more than enough to cause enough changs to the environment, giving the Mewmans the clear idea that their end times have come."

"But, if you only need to fight Lekmet, why bring me too?" Solaria pondered out loud.

"So you won't interfere with Menwi's destruction," the redhead answered. "But that's enough talk."

Hekapoo materialized two scissor-like swords out of nowhere and exclaimed as she lunged at the duo:

"Let's get the show started!"


	30. Attack On Mewni II

**Last chapter was filled with some shocking revelations. This chapter won't continue the revelations, but what it will continue is the utter madness of the "War on Mewni" arc. Cool name, ain't it?**

 **Anyway, this chapter focuses mostly on the reformatory, with little bits of what's happening in Mewni. If you wanna see how Jackie, Brittney, Janna, and Mrs. Diaz are doing, too bad, you'll have to wait for the next chapter. XD**

 **Anyhow, let's answer some reviews:**

 **1) Nobody245: I like to think "Great Magical Children" is a more appropriate title for the Earth Four (thanks for the name idea, btw), since the only one with an explicit tie to destruction is Marco/Sol. But yeah, plot twist! XD**

 **2) LunaraTheCorrupted (Chapter 1): Yeah, things are a bit different here. And it might be a while before she gts better.**

 **And now, to the chapter!**

* * *

Back at the kingdom of Mewni, the battle between King River and Mr. Diaz continued, with the king's attacks only getting the empowered man to flinch once in a while, with the man throwing a punch that sent the king flying off into some debris.

However, River quickly got back and resumed his beating of Mr. Diaz, which only made the man move his head. That is until he casually grabbed River's arm and kept him in place as he ordered the cloaked figures:

"Children of Globgor, go find the Mewmans and force the council to come."

The figures nodded and immediately began their hunt for the Mewmans, though one of them was kept in place by a stray energy blast. Said blast came from Star, who flew down and kicked the figure in the face, causing his cloak to fall down and reveal himself as Toffee.

"You!" Star exclaimed as the lizard man growled. "You're part of Globgor's army?!"

"All citizens of Echo Creek, monster and human alike, are part of his army, Butterfly!" Toffee stated. "After all, they share the same pain your people put them through!"

Toffee tried to slash at Star, but he was stopped by Moon, who landed in front of her and blocked the claw with... her tail?

"Mom?!" Star exclaimed. "Is that your Butterfly form?!"

"Well, I wouldn't quite call it a "Butterfly" form, but it's the closest equivalent I got," Moon explained, pushing Toffee away. "Now, go help your father with Mr. Diaz!"

Star frowned. "Are you sure you'll be alright?"

"Don't worry about me, I can handle a septarian just fine," Moon turned to her daughter and smiled. "Now go, your Father needs you."

Star took a deep breath, nodded, and flew to the Rafael-River fight while Moon turned back to focus on Toffee.

The septarian leader extended his hand forward. "My sweet little Moonlight, we don't have to do this-"

Moon hissed like a beast and swung her tail, sending a shock wave that Toffee narrowly dodged as she said:

"You're in Globgor's side, and I'm on Mewni's. You want to destroy this kingdom, and I want to protect it."

Toffee frowned. "Moonlight-"

"Don't call me by that name!" Moon snapped, her eyes turning reptillian before she regained her senses and shook it off. "Let's just accept what must be done and get this over with!"

Toffee silently looked at the ground and nodded, before the whole kingdom shook and thunder was heard, with the shaking being so intense, it could even be felt in the castle, which Rhombulus and Omnitraxus noticed.

"This isn't a natural quake," Rhombulus said, narrowing his single eye. "There's only one thing that could cause this kind of shaking."

"Indeed, a pair of Great Magical Ones are fighting," Omnitraxus morphed a hand out of his stomach and scratched his skull-chin. "But which ones?"

"And most importantly, where are Hekapoo and Lekmet?" Rhombulus looked at his surroundings. "Last time I saw them-"

Eclipsa kicked the door open and shouted, "Globgor's forces are attacking!"

"No, that's not the last time I saw them," Rhombulus took a couple seconds to realize what was said. "Wait, what?!"

"Like I said, Globgor's forces are attacking Mewni!" Eclipsa ran to Rhombulus' side and grabbed his arm. "Just come with me, and see for yourself!"

Rhombulus and Omnitraxus exchanged looks, and nodded before following Eclipsa into a spot where the pair would see the chaos.

As for Meteora? She was at the outskirts of Mewni, walking towards the camp of Mewmans.

At said camp, Higgs, Kelly, and Tad were tending to the Mewmans, trying to keep their hopes up when Meteora arrived.

"Your Majesty!" Kelly exclaimed as she, Higgs, and Tad ran up to her. "Thank Celena that you're here!"

"Can't I thank somebody else, instead?" Meteora rolled her eyes. "Anyway, how's the camp?"

"All the Mewmans have been evaxuated, and though they're a little jumpy, they're overall fine," Tad explained. "Although, something tells me they won't keep up hope for long."

"I guess your Dad has that effect on people, huh?" Higgs quipped, earning glares from both the Queen and her partners. "W-Whatever, what do you need us to do now?"

"Standby for now," Meteora stated as she walked towards the Mewmans. "And please, don't stop me."

Kelly raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Meteora turned to the Mewmans, whose smiles turned into horrified frowns as Meteora's eyes glew green and she said:

"Watch."

 ** _Meanwhile, at St. Meteora's..._**

The princesses were enjoying a relaxing dinner, with a surprising guest among them: Pony Head

"It's kinda weird you decided to come here all of a sudden, though," Arms remarked. "I thought you would go back to your own kingdom."

"I would, if it wasn't a wasteland," Pony Head took a bite off the waffles. "You know, with the whole "Family got slaughtered for disoveying the council" deal."

The other princesses winced and looked away, seemingly growing concerned at the casual mention of such an event.

"What? Was it something I said?" the sentient flying equine head asked. "That's all in the past, girls, don't worry about it."

"Okay, now I'm a bit concern over your casual disregard for your family's state," Minos sighed. "But, anyway, you're friends with someone named Mina, right?"

"Mina Loveberry?" Pony Head took another bite out of her food. "Yeah, original rider, original best friend, original fake wife, why do you ask?"

"She once tried to kill our beloved headmistress, and then lead a rebellion against the High Queen that put Mewni in its current state!" Arms answered. "Why did you remain friends with someone like that?"

Pony Head stopped eating and angrily narrowed her eyes, growling:

"I wasn't around when she did that."

And as that happened, Mina Loveberry came out of a portal and landed face-first on the frontyard of the reformatory, with little damage done to her person. She then stood up and dusted herself, before looking at her location.

"Meteora's school?" she blurted. "Of all the places that redheaded witch could take me, why here?!"

Then, when she looked around, Mina realized something: "And most importantly, where did Marco go?"

The ex-Mewman got her answer, maybe, when she heard a roar coming from the sky, which she barely noticed before a fireball hit the ground and seemingly blew up, sending Mina flying through a window.

A pair of red eyes glew from inside the smole cloud, and then whatever was inside roared at the top of its lungs, sending some kind of waves all across the school, with the princesses inside getting markings similar to Globgor's for the duration of the roar.

This included Arms, who looked at her body in confusion before she turned to Gemini, who didn't get the markings.

Then she turned to Pony Head, who did get the markings. "Whoa, girl, what's this all about?!"

Once the markings vanished, Arms ran to the nearest monitor, with the princesses-and Gemini-following her. Once they found one, they turned it on and saw who had arrived outside.

It was a figure on all four, with tentacles sprouting out of its back, a long tail that looked similar to the tentacles, and a long ponytail whose end split off into more tentacles. And while they couldn't see very well, the figure had purple skin on the back, and pink skin on the front.

The figure then turned towards the camera, and its facial features reminded the girls of a certain someone moments before the beast's eyes glew and shot a beam, disabling the feed.

"Is that... princess Marco?!" Gemini exclaimed.

"Whoever that is, they're not friendly!" Arms stated. "Everybody, go try to find something to fight with! Gemini and the guards will try to keep them occupied!"

The princesses nodded and ran out of the dining room, with only Minos remaining behind. She grabbed the nearest pigeon she could, quickly wrote a message, then handed it to the bird as she said:

"Deliver this to my sister, Andrea the Human."

The bird nodded and flew away, and just in time too, since Arms barged into the room soon after.

"Minos, get up and come with me!" the four-armed princess barked. "We need to get prepared just in case that thing enters the school!"

Minos nodded and followed the four-armed princess to... wherever they were going.

 _ **Meanwhile, outside the reformatory...**_

Gemini and some guards marched out of the front door and towards the monstrous Marco, stopping only when he started snarling at them.

"Alright, you look a bit like that princess Marco that Meteora mentioned, so I'll assume that's you," Gemini said, taking a couple, slow steps forward. "Now, before you do anything, let's just... talk about this-"

Marco roared and lunged at a guard, who quickly reacted by punching him away.

"Okay, I guess we're skipping the diplomacy!" Gemini narrowed his eye. "Guards, attack!"

The robot guards ran towards Marco, who quickly got back up and started attacking the guards. While the guards threw punches and kicks, Marco simply dodged and used his tentacles to either pierce the guards, or grab them and throw them at other guards.

Before long, Gemini realized that the guards wouldn't be enough, so he got an idea:

"Guards! Open your chests and take out your hearts!"

The guards nodded and obliged in unison, revealing their sparking hearts, causing Marco to briefly hesitate. This gave Gemini the chance to run towards the monstrous guy, jump high in the air, then take out and aim his heart forward as he crashed with the boy, followed by the guards throwing their hearts, unleashing a chain reaction that ended in a huge explosion that made the ground shake violently.

And the shaking could be felt inside the reformatory, including the room the girls were at.

"What was that?!" Minos exclaimed.

Arms closed her eyes, lowered her head, and said, "Gemini, you idiot..."

Minos frowned. "Arms?"

"There's no need to mourn the fallen," Arms stated. "We have to get ready, or else we'll join them soon."

The princesses nodded once again, and while they were busy getting prepared, Pony Head flew off to see what was going on outside, flying past the headmistress office... which is where Mina landed.

Luckily, the shaking woke her up. "Huh? What happened?"

The ex-Mewman stood up and dusted herself. "Okay, let's see, I got here thanks to Hekapoo, and then something crashed next to me, sending me flying over here."

Mina scratched her chin. "Maybe the thing that crashed was Marco?"

Then she groaned and put a hand on her head, her eye gem glowing as she remembered something.

"Right, last time I was here, this thing started giving me headaches," Mina parted her hair, revealing her Clubs fragment. "But why is it reacting now?"

Mina narrowed her eye, then reached the gem eye with her free arm, only for it to suddenly stop.

"What the-?!"

"Did you really think you'd get rid of me so easily?"

Mina watched in confusion as a blue spirit-like being slowly materialized, revealing they were grabbing her arm tightly. And then her confusion turned into shock as she realized who was the spirit:

"Festivia?"

The spirit narrowed her eyes, and nodded.

 _ **Meanwhile, down at the main lobby...**_

Princess Smooshy rested on the couch, checking her mail on her phone when she got a phone call from Arms. She hesitantly answered and greeted:

"Hello?"

"Smooshy, where the underworld are you!?" Arms snapped. "The school's being invaded! Come to-"

"Relax, Arms, freaking out won't help anybody," Smooshy stated. "And besides, didn't Gemini and the guards go take care of it?"

"Yes, they did, but-"

Suddenly, the door was busted open with such force, Smooshy's phone was sent flying off her hand and into the wall, destroying it completely.

Naturally, the princess was furious. "Hey, what was that for!?"

Once she turned around, however, the princess was paralyzed at the sight of Marco, seemingly no worse for wear, walking on all four into the building while holding Gemini's head in his mouth, which he spat out soon after. And as he continued walking slowly towards the girl, he growled and hissed...

And then Pony Head arrived. "Okay, now let's see what-"

It didn't take her long to notice the scene. "Oh... did I come at a bad moment?"

 _ **And with the princesses...**_

"Smooshy? Hello, Smooshy, are you there?!" Arms asked while the other princesses surrounded her. "Great, she hung up!"

"Are you sure that's what happened?" Minos asked. "I mean, maybe she just lost her phone?"

"Smooshy? Losing her phone?" Arms shook her head. "That's never happened to her before-"

And then, the princesses heard Smooshy scream, followed by Pony Head barging in and shouting:

"Whoever's invading got inside!"

The princesses wasted no time, and grabbed their weaponry: Normal weapons like axes and swords, and mundane objects like pillows.

They promptly ran as fast as they could to the lobby, ready to try and protect one of their own... even if that "one of their own" was the most annoying princess there.

Sadly, by the time they arrived at the scene, Marco had already absorbed the soul of a princess.

The princess in question? Smooshy.

"Smooshy, no!" Arms exclaimed. "I mean, you were always a pain in the neck, but still, oh no!"

And then Marco slowly stood up and looked at his palm... then said:

"I see..."

The princesses nearly dropped their weapons: The guy has been acting like a savage beast, and now, he could talk?!

"So this is why Hekapoo sent me here," Marco slowly turned to face the princesses. "To absorb your sentient soul?"

Arms gritted her teeth, while the remaining princesses tried to keep their cool.

"I guess it makes sense, after all," Marco slowly stood up... or tried to, anyway. "Absorbing mindless monsters turned me mindless, so absorbing something with sentience would help me regain my mind."

The boy fell down, right back to his all-four stand. "But it's not enough."

Without warning, Marco lunged at the princesses, who avoided his lunge and tried to attack him with their pillows. Predictably, though, they didn't do more than annoy the guy, prompting him to shoot his eye lasers at the girls, forcing them to run.

As they ran, the princesses, mostly Arms and Minos, did whatever they could to block Marco's path: Tumble down a bookshelf, flip over some tables, and so on.

The guy just ran through the obstacles without even slowing down.

This eventually caught the attention of the robotic janitor St. Olga, who was cleaning the floors when she saw the princesses run.

"No running in the halls!" she told the girls, before turning to the incoming Marco. "No running in the-!"

Marco, having no time for the robot's words, smacked her aside and continued his pursuit. This caused St. Olga's eyes to turn red and narrow, her head slowly turning to face Marco as well.

Eventually, the girls found themselves cornered, or at least too tired to keep running, soon after, with Marco grinning as he prepped himself to absorb the princesses souls.

Then, Minos jumped forward and swung her axe, causing the guy to jump back and extend his tentacles towards her, which the minotaur cut off easily.

Marco roared in pain, once again causing the markings to appear on the girls, who took the chance to strike:

Pony Head shot a laser from her horn and captured Marco in a light blue ball, which she then threw around to te princesses to smack: Minos with her axe, the reptillian, Septarian-like princess with her tail, Gwendolyn with her artistic moves, and so on until Pony Head threw him up in the air, then grabbed and threw Minos and Arms at him, allowing them to kick him straight into the ground, shattering the ball and causing an explosion afterwards.

Before Arms and Minos hit the ground, however, Marco's eyes glew pink for a moment before he shouted at the top of his lungs, dissipating the smile cloud and sending the princesses flying into walls.

Marco got ready to lunge again, but just as he did, an energy blast struck him, making him flinch. And a quick turn revealed the shooter was none other than St. Olga, whose arm had turned into an arm cannon that was aimed directly at Marco.

"Young lady, this has gone long enough," St. Olga stated with a robotic monotone. "Do you really believe anybody would want to marry a princess that acts as rebellious as you?"

Marco looked at the robotic mistress for a moment, then turned back to the princesses, only for Olga to shoot another blast at the monstrous guy, hissing:

"I'm talking with you, young lady. And I expect you to answer!"

Gritting his teeth and growling like a rabid dog, Marco's eyes glew red as he hissed in return:

"You want an answer, huh? Fine then, here you go!"

With a single blink, St. Olga barely noticed her stomach glowing orange before violently blowing up, with the force of the explosion nearly sending some of the princesses flying away.

Once the explosion ended, Marco turned back to and glared at Arms as he prepared to lunge at her, with the four-armed princess standing defiant.

"Pony Head, send a message to the kingdom of Mewni," Arms ordered the flying sentient pony head. "Tell them that they need to evacuate as fast as possible!"

"But-"

"Just go!" Minos stated, gripping her axe tightly. "We'll keep him busy as long as possible!"

The sentient pony head frowned and nodded before flying away, going past the headmistress office, where Mina was still talking with Festivia's spirit.

"Listen, I know you hate me, I wish you didn't hate me, but that's just how it is," Mina sighed sadly. "But that's not important right now! I need your help!"

"First, you try to kill Meteora, and now you have the audacity to ask for help from her surrogate mother!?" Festivia narrowed her eyes. "Tell me one good reason not to kill you myself, right now!"

"Meteora's in danger!" Mina exclaimed. "So are your princesses, and all of Mewni!"

Festivia's tone changed from angry to horrified as she thought about it. "Don't tell me..."

Mina was dropped, and then she answered, "I'm afraid so: Sol is on the loose."

The spirit of the queen scratched her chin and flew back and forth, trying to think of something to do.

"Okay, I can't leave your body just yet: That would leave you in a weakened state ripe for absorption, and if Sol absorbs your soul, we're doomed," Festivia said. "However, if he hasn't absorbed every single princess' soul yet, I think there might be a way to beat him."

The spirit frowned. "But I need to possess your body to do it."

Mina flinched, but quickly regained her composure. "I guess, desperate situations require desperate measures."

Mina spread her arms wide. "Alright then, take it over. Just be sure to give it back if this plan fails."

Festivia nodded, and with a little hesitation, she entered Mina's body, enveloping the woman in blue light as she floated up, and seemingly transformed.

 _ **Back with the princesses...**_

Arms hit the wall and slid to the ground, barely able to catch a glimpse of Marco absorbing the other princesses' souls, with only Minos being able to fight back the first few times.

Eventually, Arms recogered quickly enough to watch the minotaur get her soul sucked: Marco extended one of his tentacles to her person, and stabbed her with them, causing them to glow green as the soul was absorbed, and the girl was left a lifeless husk.

She also got to see Marco's changed a little: The skin color, hair, and overall physique remained the same, but he also obtained white markings across his face, and presumably his body, that resembled Globgor's. His eyes also changed: They now had light pink sclera, yellow eyes, and reptillian-like pupils.

Also, he was finally bipedal again, so there's that.

"So... that's how you do it..." Arms sighed, getting Marco's attention. "And here I thought the only way half-monsters could take souls was through their eyes."

"That's the advantage of being a biological paradox like me," Marco smiled, dropping Minos' corpse. "I don't have to stick with old tricks."

Then the guy walked to the four-armed princess, gently grabbed her chin and asked, "Now, what should I do with you?"

"How about you leave her alone!?"

The guy released Arms and turned around to face the person who said that, which was none other than the Festivia-possessed Mina.

Basically, think Mina with pink eyes and wilder, longer hair.

"Arms, get out of here as fast as you can!" Festivia-Mina ordered the four-armed princess. "I... we'll take care of him!"

The four-armed princess, too weak to talk back, stood up and ran away as fast as she could, with Marco watching her as she left. Once she was out of sight, Marco turned back to Festivia-Mina, who glared at him.

"Mina Loveberry?" Marco blurted, only to correct himself when he squinted his eyes. "Oh wait, no, that's the body. I believe the one controlling it is called... Festivia Butterfly, right?"

The empowered ex-soldier flinched. "How do you know who I am?"

"Are you kidding me? Your name and image is plastered all across this building!" Sol answered, shrugging in disbelief. "Even if I had never heard from you before, there was no way I could ignore such blatant spam of your image!"

Marco narrowed his eyes. "But enough talk, let's get to business: I'm here for your soul."

Festivia-Mina raised an eyebrow, prompting Marco to explain:

"Absorbing mindless beasts turned me into a mindless beast. Absorbing a sentient person helped me regain my sanity. Therefore, it's logical to assume that absorbing the soul of someone with magic, like, say, a Mewman-"

Festivia-Mina gritted her teeth and growled.

"Will give me access to magic, giving me enough power to destroy Mewni once and for all," the guy smiled a little. "So, how about you stand down and let me take it? After all, we both want the same thing: Teach Mewni and Mewmanity a lesson."

"No, that's not what I... we... want..." Festivia-Mina hesitated. "We just wanted Mewni to go back to its earlier days, before Mewmanity and Monsterkind were stuck in an endless war with each other!"

Marco chuckled. "How long, I wonder, will it take you to realize the impossibility of your ideal?"

Festivia-Mina stood her ground. "Whatever, point is, if you want to take my soul, you'll have to go through us!"

The bemused guy shook his head.

"Fine by me," Marco's eyes started glowing. "That means I can absorb two souls with one stare!"

Festivia-Mina narrowed her eyes, ready for a fight.

 ** _Meanwhile, far away from Mewni..._**

A portal opened in the sky, and from there, Globgor came down and landed on the ground, shaking the floor in the process. Once there, he took a look at his surroundings, and noticed Mewni on the horizon, far away from his starting position.

To this, he took a deep breath and yelled:

"Damn it, Hekapoo! Couldn't you teleport me a little closer to the damn kingdom!?"

Globgor rubbed his forehead and sighed, "Oh well, whatever, I guess."

The monster king grew back to his behemoth size and started running towards the kingdom, saying to himself:

"Nothing will stop me from getting to Mewni!"


	31. Attack On Mewni III

**And now we continue the "Attack on Mewni" saga with the third entry, focusing on what happened to the girls and Mrs. Diaz after they were teleported away by Hekapoo.**

 **Now, real talk here, I think I'm gonna space out the uploads of this story from one to two weeks: Thanksgiving AND Christmas is coming, and if I tried to both update this story and work on stuff for both Thanksgiving and Christmas... let's just say, I might suffer a breakdown from overwork. XD**

 **And sure, I could ignore the holidays and focus only on this story, but I'm a holiday man; I'll always try to write something for the holidays if I can think of something.**

 **Especially because I do have something in mind.**

 **And now, lets answer some reviews:**

 **1) Guest:**

 *** See, the tricky thing about this question is that they're both from different universes, with different rules by proxy. Mickey's a mouse wearing a magician's hat, and Celena's literally one of the embodiments of magic itself (Assuming that's what I established before about Great Magical Ones). That being said, I do think that if enough effort was used, Mickey could defeat Celena, but he would need to give it everything he's got to do so.**

 *** Sol is literally just Marco's title as a "godchild" of Hekapoo... and his Mewman birthname, too, but mostly the title he uses to establish himself as Hekapoo's servant. So yes, Sol is still Marco, but under Hekapoo's influence.**

 **2) Nobody245: Like I said in the previous answer, Sol is literally just both Marco's Mewman birthname and his title as a godchild of Hekapoo, so you can bet she has some semblance of control over him, and that he's not exactly all there at the moment.**

 **And now, to the chapter!**

* * *

Back in Mewni, River crashed into another wall as Mr. Diaz got ready to pummel him, only for Star to appear and shoot him away with a Narwhal Blast. This did give the man some bruises and sent him a couple feet away, but that seemed to be it.

"Star!" River exclaimed.

"Don't worry, Dad, I'm here to help you!" Star stated as she helped him get up. "Mom's already dealing with one of the Children of Globgor, and assuming they don't sit this one out, Eclipsa and Meteora should help soon too!"

"I hope so," River shook his head. "Because there's no way of telling when Globgor will come, and when he does-"

"You mean he's not just going to let his army do the job for him?!" Star interjected in disbelief.

"A king always leads their armada in battle, Star," River sighed. "Even those whose army should be strong enough to do the job themselves."

And then Mr. Diaz crashed nearby and walked towards the king, with Star getting in the way and spreading her arms as she said:

"Mr. Diaz, whatever reason you're helping Globgor, I just need to ask: Why?! What did he tell you to convince you to invade Mewni?!"

The man sighed and asked, "Have you ever heard about the Sun of Destruction?"

Star raised an eyebrow. "No, is that something I should be aware of?"

Mr. Diaz shook his head. "It's not a something, but a someone; An entity blessed by Hekapoo, and further biologically engineered by Globgor, all with the one goal in mind: Bring forth the complete destruction of Mewni."

Star flinched and took a step back as the man continued:

"His loyalty to Hekapoo, as well as his engineering, make him impossible to reason with: Once he's started, he won't stop until he's finished his goal."

Star narrowed her eyes. "And why do you tell me this?"

"Because, Star, my son, Marco... is Sol," the man somberly revealed. "He's the Sun of Destruction fated to destroy Mewni. But he can't destroy something that's no longer there."

Rafael sighed:

"Either Globgor and his children destroy Mewni, or Sol himself does it."

But by that point, Star wasn't listening anymore: She just stared with a stern look as she clenched her fist, crouched down, and then flew away with one thing in mind:

Find Hekapoo, who was in the middle of a fight with Solaria and Lekmet.

For the former, the Butterfly woman shot several light spheres at Hekapoo, who simply rushed through them as they literally melted mere inches away from her person. She then dodged Hekapoo's scissors and pinned her against the ground.

"Before I crush your skull, I just want to ask one thing!" Solaria snapped, gripping Hekapoo's throat. "Where did you send my grandson, his girlfriends, and most importantly, where did you send my daughter!?"

Hekapoo chuckled before literally melting into the ground, then morphing into a liquid form that pinned Solaria on the ground, with the redhead returning to normal just before Solaria got up, with her aiming her scissor-blades at her neck for good measure.

"Your daughter is safe, far away from both Sol and the conflict at hand," Hekapoo stated. "As for the girls, I sent them to places where they can discover their true identities. Their true selves."

Lekmet tackled Hekapoo, but the scissor mistress just grabbed him and threw him through a portal, sending him straight into her kick, which sent him flying off to Solaria. The woman and chancellor got up, and Hekapoo rushed to them immediately afterwards.

 _ **With Brittney...**_

The girl slowly woke up to find herself on the ground in what seemed like some sort of jungle-like area, big trees and grass included.

"Ow, my head," Brittney said as she got up. "Where am I?"

"Welcome to Septarsis."

The girl flinched and turned around to see a Septarian standing nearby, holding a sphere.

"Um, excuse me, what did you say?" the girl inquired. "I don't think I heard you well."

"Welcome to Septarsis," the septarian said.

"Septarsis?!" Brittney exclaimed, clasping her hands as she asked, "I-Isn't that the homeworld of the near immortal species known as Septarians?"

"Welcome to Septarsis."

"Um, you already said that," Brittney pointed out. "And you didn't answer my question: Is this the homeworld of the Septarians?"

"Welcome to Septarsis."

Brittney finally snapped. "Can you say something other than that?!"

"I would, but the job description says I must repeat that phrase every time someone tries to talk to me," the Septarian said, only to quickly correct himself, "I mean, uh, welcome to Septarsis."

With that said, Brittney took a close look at the septarian before she took a couple steps forward, with the lizard creature doing nothing to stop her. Then, she fully entered the place, and she was caught off-guard when she heard the septarians gasp, with them bowing down as soon as she turned to face them.

"What are you doing?" Brittney raised an eyebrow.

"Paying our respects, great Thanatos."

The septarians stood up and parted to reveal a septarian walking towards Brittney. He seemed particularly old, and wore a crown on his head.

Naturally, Brittney wasn't trusting the unexpected hospitality. Who are you?"

"I'm the king of Septarians," the lizard man said. "Or at least, that's the title I use whenever Toffee isn't available."

The girl flinched, remembering her last encounter with the well-dressed lizard guy. "Toffee's your king?!"

"Whenever he's available, yes, otherwise, that title goes to me," the fake king said. "But, of course, we're nothing compared to you, oh great Thanatos."

Britney narrowed her eyes. "What are you talking about?"

The fake king chuckled. "Allow me to explain."

 _ **History of Septarians...**_

"Thousands of years ago, the septarians were nothing more than primitive lizards."

Said primitive septarians were depicted as normal lizards, doing lizard things.

"However, that all changed when we were visited by a certain duo."

Two shadowy figures approached the lizards.

"These figures were known by many names, but two of them were the most well known: Lekmet, and Thanatos."

The figures' forms were revealed, showing they were Lekmet, looking the same as the present day, and a younger Brittney. The goat chancellor looked at the girl and nodded with a smile as she grabbed one of the lizards and lifted it to her face.

"The children of the Magic High Commission each were given the task to show their magical potential, or something like that. Thanatos, that's you, had the task to use her magic to uplift an entire species, and we were chosen for said uplifting."

Thanatos put the lizard between her palms and charged it with magic, transforming the lizard into the humanoid creature known as Septarian.

"With this uplifting, we gained sentience, as well as a greater regeneration. But this came at a cost."

Lekmet explained the septarian what happened, then pointed at the girl.

"In exchange for this uplifting, we were supposed to become your faithful servants."

The septarian turned to Brittney, then got on one knee and bowed down.

"A cost we were more than happy to fulfill."

 _ **Back at the present...**_

"Wait, so, are you saying..." Brittney slowly connected the dots. "The reason the Septarians are practically immortal-"

"Is because of you, oh Great Thanatos," the Septarian king bowed down again. "And for that, we're in your debt."

The septarians bowed down again as the revelation dawned on the girl: The very creatures she feared for so long, and the very same creatures that once tormented her... were her own creation, and at least concerning the septarians in Septarsis, they were her loyal followers.

Maybe... she could use this to her advantage.

"Hey, I'm your patron deity or something, right?" Brittney asked. "If I asked you a favor, would you do it?"

"We'd do anything for you, Goddess of Life and Death," the Septarian stated. "Say the word, and we'll follow."

Brittney smiled, her hope sincerely renewed.

 ** _Meanwhile, with Janna..._**

The girl woke up and took a look around before realizing where she was.

"The Underworld, huh?" Janna remarked. "Well, at least that redheaded weirdo was nice enough to send me somewhere familiar."

The girl got up and dusted herself. "Okay, now for the big question: What do I do now? I mean, obviously I can't just stay here and do nothing, Marco and the others need help!"

"Janna?"

The girl turned around and saw none other than the king of the underworld, Tom, approaching her.

"Tom! Oh, you don't know how glad I am to see you!" Janna said. "Listen, I need your help with something!"

"Okay, but first, what's with your look?" Tom asked. "I thought you were going to hide it with a glamour spell?"

Janna looked at herself, and to her shock, she was in her "demonic human" form, horns and tail included.

"I was using a glamour!" the girl snapped, stomping the ground. "That Hekapoo lady must've done something to it!"

Tom flinched. "Hekapoo?!"

"Yeah, a girl with flaming hair appeared out of nowhere and teleported me and my friends to..." Janna hesitated, and rubbed her shoulder. "Actually, I don't know where she sent the others."

"I see," Tom scratched his chin. "Do you have any idea why she did it?"

"Something about Marco being the Sol, or Sun of Destruction, you were talking about before," Janna folded her arms. "And then, she called me Alcatraz, Jackie Andromeda, and Brittney Thanatos."

Tom flinched yet again, started by the casual answer from the girl, and he was about to ask something before Janna inquired:

"Tom, am I weird?"

The king raised an eyebrow. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, back when you turned me into a demonic human, I understood it no problem. Now, today, I find out I'm one of the children of the Magic High Commission, some of the most powerful magical entities in existence..." Janna looked down, her smile unfaltering. "And I have no idea how to take it..."

The king patted the newly-crowned princess' back. "You're just suffering from shock. Just wait a couple weeks and it should leave on its own."

Then he whispered to her ear, "Now, do you need my help for something?"

With that, Janna immediately remembered her mission, and nodded...

 ** _Then, with Jackie..._**

The girl woke up feeling groggy, her vision blurry to the point she couldn't make out where she was.

"Where am I?"

The girl slowly got up, then fell down, as her vision started to return to her. Now with more clarity, she could see that wherever she was, there were several flowers, trees, and the color scheme certainly didn't math that of Earth.

Or anything she had seen before, for that matter.

She rubbed her eyes, and only then did she manage to notice the pixies in front of her, aiming their spears at her.

"Stay put, giant creature!" one of the pixies snapped.

Jackie raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

"You're coming with us!" another Pixie stated. "The empress will certainly want to see you in person!"

Jackie blinked twice, too dumbfounded at what she was looking at. And as she pondered whether this was some crazy fever dream or not, she was taken to the empress' throne room, with the empress looking curious at her.

"Your Highness, we brought you another intruder!" one of the pixies exclaimed. "The lack of cheekmarks confirms she's not a Mewman, though, so what do you suggest we do with her?"

The empress stood up. "Leave, I'll deal with her myself."

The pixies bowed and left, leaving the confused Jackie to be looked at closely by the empress. The pixie ruler flew around the girl, making sure to catch as many noteworthy details about her as she could, as she started to get an idea on who she was.

First she noticed her oddly curvy body. Not too common among teenagers, but early bloomers were a thing, so she didn't pay much attention to it.

Then, she noticed her silver-covered fore-arms. While a bit rarer, the pixie woman knew better than to jump to conclusions: any water user could gain control over silver if they were lucky enough.

Next, her skin, both the normal one and the blue pieces all around it. Now she was starting to feel Jackie was exactly who she thought she was.

Finally, the part that ceased any doubts in her mind: Jackie's eyes. The gleam, the light, their detail, the empress had only ever seen this kind of eye on one species before:

Her very own.

"It's you..."

Jackie raised an eyebrow as the empress started shedding tears.

"It really is you!"

The empress freed herself and hugged Jackie's cheek, shouting:

"Welcome home, my sweet little baby girl!"

It took all of two seconds for Jackie to realize what the empress was implying, and she had only one thing to say about this:

"Wait, what?!"

 _ **Meanwhile, with Angie...**_

The woman recovered consciousness and stood up to find herself... at the Mewman refugee camp, with Tad, Kelly, Higgs, and a massive shadowy figure looking at her.

Rather than freaking out at being watched, however, Angie stood up and asked, "Where am I?"

Higgs took out her sword and aimed it at the woman as she answered, "You're at the Mewman camp next to the kingdom of Mewni, Fake Mewman! And you're standing in front of the Queen of Clubs of Mewni, so you better-"

Tired of her nonsense, Angie manipulated her shadow to grab Higgs' sword and throw it away, leaving the redhead in a state of stunned shock.

"Now, Higgs, calm down. We won't get anything done making more enemies," the shadowy giant said before turning to the woman. "Please forgive her, Mrs. Diaz, she's not very trusting of Memwans who've lived as humans."

"Let me guess," Angie rolled her eyes. "She's one of your mother's soldiers?"

"I'm afraid so," the figured sighed, gently rubbing the redhead's... head. "And as you can plainly see, she drilled her beliefs into her head."

Angie sighed in frustration... then realized who she was talking to.

"Meteora?! Is that you?!" Angie remarked, slightly relieved. "You seem... different."

"How can you tell?" Meteora tilted her head. "I'm sure I'm clouded in shadows."

Angie frowned. "Your Highness, your silhouette still blatantly shows you've changed dramatically."

"Huh, I guess I should've taken that into account," Meteora scratched the back of her head. "Anyway, if you're wondering what you're doing here... well, you kinda came out of a portal, which came out of nowhere."

Angie narrowed her eyes and clenched her fists. "Right, I was sent here by Hekapoo's power! Are you planning to fight back against her?"

"If you mean she plans to try protect Mewni from being destroyed, which is what she wants, then yeah," Kelly answered. "Why do you ask? Do you want to help us?"

"That Hekapoo first had the audacity to turn my son into a weapon to destroy Mewni, and now she's shown that she's perfectly willing to use him as such," Angie clenched her fist and narrowed her eyes. "I can't call myself a good mother if I do nothing to help Marco get out of this situation."

Then, to further state her point, the woman stared at the gigantic shadowy Meteora and stated:

"I can't, and won't, let my son be used as a weapon!"

Higgs blinked twice in disbelief, while Tad and Kelly smiled and nodded, with Meteora smiling as well as she stated:

"Alright then, here's the plan..."

 _ **Finally, back at Mewni...**_

Eclipsa, Rhombulus, and Omnitraxus' watched the fight between River and Mr. Diaz, and Moon and Toffee, bringing more destruction to the kingdom.

"Wow, that's going to take a while to fix," Rhombulus remarked in shock. "But, I thought that guy came here with an army?"

"They went after the Mewmans, but if my daughter did what I think she did, they won't find anybody," Eclipsa explained. "Anyway, we don't have time to waste! You two need to stop them before Mewni's destroyed!"

Omnitraxus hummed. "There's something we could try, but what will you do?"

"I..." Eclipsa paused, then lowered her head. "I don't know."

"Well, mind if I make a suggestion?" the sentient galaxy inquired.

Eclipsa raised an eyebrow, but she soon realized what he meant when she looked at the distance, and saw Globgor approaching.

"Omni, you must be crazy!" Rhombulus exclaimed. "You know those two aren't on good terms! And yes, Eclipsa has magic, but Globgor could just stomp her dead! Do you really think she-!?"

"Throw me at him!"

The beings turned to face Eclipsa, who narrowed her eyes with determination as she stated:

"Throw me as hard as you can towards Globgor!"

Omni shot a smug "were you saying?" look at Rhombulus, who looked elsewhere and huffed as Omnitraxus grabbed Eclipsa, and threw her straight at the behemoth, bringing him to a stop.

Not because it hurt him, in fact, he grabbed Eclipsa before she could hit him. No, it was because he wanted to see the woman face-to-face.

"Eclipsa?"

The woman turned to face to the monster, and as he stared her down with an angry glare, the woman took a deep breath, smiled and said:

"Hello, Globgor."


	32. Attack On Mewni IV

**And now, we continue the "Attack on Mewni" saga with the fourth episode, this time a bit longer thanks to me finally deciding to man up and write it on the laptop. XD**

 **Also, just a word of advice: The holidays are approaching, so I'll try my best to finish this little arc before they get here, because once they arrive, I won't be working on anything.**

 **Also also, there might be slower updates, if possible.**

 **But first, let's answer some reviews:**

 **1) Nobody245: I'm gonna be perfectly honest; Several factors (My indecisiveness in the earlier parts of this story and the lack of proper focus on it, most of all) make the relationship between Star and Hekapoo a bit too complex for a simple, clear-cut answer. However, what I can say is that there is an element of Hekapoo doing so to further her own goals, and that falls entirely on one particular person...**

 *** P.S: I love how you call the quartet from Earth the Earth Four. What would you call the Council of Queens if they didn't have that name?**

 *** P.S II: The P.S-ening: Have you ever thought about making an account, so we can talk without having to wait several weeks just to answer your questions? Don't get the wrong idea, I don't mind what we're doing now, but I think being able to talk with pms would be good, and I'm curious to hear what you think. There are certain accounts that are like that, too, so it wouldn't be anything weird. But of course, I'll understand if you feel comfortable with just the reviews.**

 **2) LunaraTheCorrupted: OTH: One True Heartbreak. XD**

 **And now, to the chapter!**

* * *

Back where we left of, Eclipsa was held tightly in Globgor's hand, the behemoth staring sterly at her with a four-eyed glare.

"Who would've thought that the next time we'd meet, it would be at Mewni's end?" Globgor said, narrowing his eyes. "What were you trying to accomplish, throwing yourself at me?"

"I just want to talk with you, Globgor," Eclipsa answered. "Listen, I know you must be angry: We've lied to you for over a thousand of years about the Queen of Hearts, not to mention the many other things the council-"

"As in you." Globgor interjected.

"-Did in the past," Eclipsa sighed. "But please, if you want to punish someone, punish us, the council! Don't destroy Mewni and the Mewmans for our mistakes!"

Globgor rolled his eyes. "Eclipsa, even if just punishing the council was an option, there's no way to know that the surviving Mewmans wouldn't just go and repeat your actions. After all, you're like the world to them: They'll do anything to please you."

The behemoth took a step back and got ready to throw the woman. "So, sorry, but Mewmanity's going down, whether you like it or not!"

Globgor threw Eclipsa away, with the woman screaming and flailing her arms up and down until a red light reached her, which turned out to be Mrs. Diaz. She had been thrown as well, apparently, as the crash simply caused the women to fall and hit the ground.

"Febe?!" Eclipsa exclaimed in disbelief. "What are you doing here?!"

"Stopping you from turning into a Mewman pancake!" Angie answered as she got up. "And I'm not alone. Now, Meteora!"

"Meteora?"

The giant figure from before leaped from the horizon and landed in front of Globgor before punching him straight in the face, sending him a couple of feet away. Besides that, though, the behemoth was unfazed as he caressed his punched face, and saw the figure turned out to be none other than Meteora, now in a monstrous form similar to his own. But purple.

"Meteora... my sweet baby girl..." Globgor said, his eyes widening as he took a couple steps forward. "You're on Mewmanity's side?!"

"They may've given crap at first, but now, it's my job to protect them," Meteora answered, narrowing her eyes. "I'm not going to let you destroy my kingdom!"

Globgor looked conflicted for a moment, before narrowing his eyes and hissing, "So be it."

The behemoths clashed with each other and took the fight elsewhere, while Febe and Eclipsa, the latter hesitantly, ran off back to the kingdom square, where Moon and River clashed after being thrown by Toffee and Rafael.

"Dang it, these guys were stronger than I expected," River said as he stood up. "Good thing we only have to face one of them, rather than the whole army."

"Now that you mention it, I do wonder where the other "Children" went," Moon remarked, catching her breath. "I figured they would be helping them destroy the kingdom."

The buffed man and lizard gentleman appeared, and River soon got an idea and got on Moon's back. "River, what are you-!?"

"Trust me on this one," River answered before grabbing Moon's shoulders. "Now fly up and start shooting your ice eye lasers or whatever those are!"

"Oh right, I have those," Moon said. "Alright then, here we go!"

The Butterfly monarch flew up and started shooting light blue lasers from her eyes as Toffee and Rafael dodged the lasers, and got on the defensive... well, Toffee got on the defensive, Mr. Diaz simply swatted the blasts away with his giant hands.

And as this happened, Angie and Eclipsa watched from the sidelines.

"So, what's the plan, Febe?" Eclipsa sternly asked, folding her arms. "You do have a plan, right?"

"Okay, first of all, stop calling me that!" Angie growled at Eclipsa. "Second, I do have an idea: The Children of Globgor are at the refugee camp, probably still checking whether there's somebody there or not. The plan is that, while I deal with my husband and Toffee here, you'll go to the camp and deal with the Children. Got it?"

Eclipsa sighed and rolled her eyes. "I guess that's better than doing nothing."

The Queen of Spades started walking towards the camp, only to stop and turn to face Angie with a glare, sterly stating:

"Before you get the wrong idea, don't think that just because we're working together that I'm okay with you: I still detest you and your very existence."

"The feeling's mutual, but you know what they say," Angie sighed and shrugged. "Desperate situations require desperate measures."

Eclipsa winced. "Eugh, don't bring up your Earth sayings without warning me first!"

The queen continued walking, completely ignoring not only Rafael and Toffee, but Moon's attacks as well, with Angie jumping into the fray once Eclipsa was out of sight.

 _ **Hekapoo Versus Solaria and Lekmet...**_

The battle between Great Magical Ones raged on, with Solaria still remaining there despite her presence making very little difference.

This became quite evident as the solar Butterfly shot several light spheres at Hekapoo, who rushed towards Solaria while wreathed in a fiery aura, which literally melted the spheres into nothingness. She then transferred said aura to her fist and tried to punch Solaria right in the face, only for Lekmet to fly in the way and grab the punch. This caused the aura to turn from red to dark green, and Hekapoo's arms started withering, shocking the redhead long enough to allow Solaria to charge and shoot a light beam straight at her, sending her crashing into the ground.

However, Hekapoo quickly recovered and got back up, watching as her hand started recovering and Solaria and Lekmet flew down to her level.

"I see you've decided to play dirty now, Lekmet," Hekapoo remarked nonchalantly. "And here I thought you'd never use your powers again, after you had to fix your goddaughter's mistake."

The goat-like chancellor gritted his teeth, and Hekapoo quickly snapped her fingers, causing flames to burst from Solaria and Lekmet's ground. But while Solaria managed to fly away in time, Lekmet wasn't so lucky, and his lower body was left burnt and scarred.

"Chancellor Lekmet!" Solaria exclaimed, before throwing a glare at the redhead's direction. "Why you!"

Solaria flew towards Hekapoo, with Lekmet bleating her to stop as Hekapoo folded her arms and narrowed her eyes. When Solaria got close enough, she started throwing a barrage of punches and kicks, most of which Hekapoo dodged with ease before teleporting behind Solaria, saying:

"Geez, kicks and punches are a little outdated, don't you think?"

Solaria turned around just in time to face Hekapoo's smirk as she added:

"How about we spice them up a bit?"

Solaria tried kicking the redhead, but she opened a portal between her and Solaria, with the other end opening in front of Solaria's stomach, making the Butterfly kick herself in the gut. Stunned from the attack, Hekapoo took the chance to open several more portals before sending Solaria right through one of them, causing her to come out of another right on top of Hekapoo.

The redhead struck her hard enough to send her through another portal, and the process repeated several times until Hekapoo merged the portals into one, absorbed the energy with her fist, then punched Solaria with said fist hard enough to send her plummeting to the ground, knocking her out of her Butterfly form in the process.

Hekapoo flew down to Solaria, grabbed her by the throat and flew back up, red flames coming out of her boots as she did. Once she was high enough to lift Solaria from the ground, the interdimensional redhead chuckled.

"Now then, Solaria," Hekapoo narrowed her eyes. "Open your eyes. Let me see if you really were blinded by the truth you discovered."

"Celena... struck me blind... as soon as I realized... what the monsters really are..." Solaria hissed, trying to break free from the redhead's grasp. "You should already know that!"

"Yeah, right, that's what she did," Hekapoo moved her hand closer to Solaria's eyes. "You can never trust anything done by Celena: You say she blinded you, but what if it was just a trick? I need to verify if you're really blind. If you're blind for real, then fine, but if you're not..."

Hekapoo grinned maliciously. "I'll be more than happy to blind you myself."

Without warning, Hekapoo was struck by an energy ball from nowhere. And as soon as she turned around, she saw the ball came from none other than Star Butterfly, who glared at the redhead as she lowered her hands.

The redhead, seemingly unfazed by the fake queen's arrival, dropped Solaria and turned to face Star, who continued glaring at her as she cheerfully smiled.

"Beautyfly, I didn't think you'd show up so soon, but I'm happy to see you nonetheless," Hekapoo clasped her hands. "So, what brings you here? I'm in the middle of something important, but I'll be more than happy to-"

"Is it true?" Star sternly asked. "The thing about Sol, the Sun of Destruction?"

Hekapoo fell silent and looked elsewhere, avoiding eye contact with the fake queen as she yelled:

"Answer me, dang it! Did you, or did you not, turn a kid like Marco into a weapon to destroy Mewni!?"

Solaria and Lekmet glanced at Star, noticing the furious anguish behind her glare. Then, Hekapoo took a deep breath and answered, with the most blunt tone possible:

"It's true."

Star flinched and flew back a little, Hekapoo taking the chance to explain:

"And I wasn't the only one: Rhombulus, Omnitraxus Prime," Hekapoo glanced at the goat-like chancellor. "Lekmet."

The humanoid goat narrowed his eyes.

"We all took some human children and bestowed them some of our power, in order to turn them into "living weapons," in a sense, and each have their own specific goal in mind," the interdimensional redhead shrugged. "Granted, Sol's the only one whose goal is centered on Mewni. Andromeda, Alcatraz, Thanatos, their goals are a mystery to me, you'll have to ask their respective "godparents" to find out-"

"Why?"

Hekapoo stopped and raised an eyebrow.

"Why would you do such a thing!?" Star snapped. "Why would you turn some innocent children into living weapons of mass destruction!? What do you gain from this!?"

"The ability to tie loose ends," Hekapoo bluntly answered. "And put an end to some business we couldn't finish otherwise."

Star and Solaria raised an eyebrow, while Lekmet narrowed his eyes and clenched his... hoof?

"You see, the Magic High Commission is traditionally supposed to stay at the sidelines and let things play out on their own. We're not supposed to get involved, basically. So, when it came to conflicts, whether they're personal or political, we were expected to sit down and see how they played out."

Star lowered her head, her hair obscuring her eyes as Hekapoo added:

"Sounds familiar, doesn't it, Star? To want to get involved in something, try to make the situation better, but be forced to stand back and watch as things grow worse by the minute. It hurts, doesn't it?"

Hekapoo turned to face Solaria with a stern look.

"Sure, some of the queens asked our opinions, like Solaria over there, but when it cames to actually doing stuff, they were the ones calling the shots. And eventually, we grew sick and tired of it."

Hekapoo turned to Lekmet.

"All of us."

The goat humanoid gritted his teeth and spread his wings, though this didn't make the redhead flinch as she turned back to Star and continued:

"So, we decided that if we ourselves couldn't get involved, we could get some helpers to do it instead. Not quite servants, but not quite slaves either. So, we searched far and wide for potential candidates, and we eventually settled on four children: Two Humans, one Half-Monster, and one Half-Fairy. We bestowed them with a piece of our power, trained them to be loyal to us, and boom, the Children of Magic were born."

"And the whole deal about destroying Mewni?" Star asked, clenching her fists. "You know, the thing that's kinda happening right now!?"

"Simply put, the more I watched Mewni from the sidelines, the more I grew disappointed in Mewmanity as a whole. And then, the Loveberry Rebellion happened, and I realized that, without Celena around to keep everybody, let's be honest, tolerable and reasonable, it was only a matter of time before the kingdom fell to chaos," Hekapoo shook her head. "And with chaos, comes monsters."

Star fell silent, and Hekapoo continued: "Honestly, I wanted the kingdom destroyed a long time ago, but certain factors forced me to wait a little bit longer. But don't worry, once Sol destroys Mewni, he'll be free to live his life however he wants."

Suddenly, Star asked, "Where is he now?"

"Sol? I sent him to Meteora's reformatory," Hekapoo answered casually. "Knowing it was a matter of time before he became a mindless monster, thanks to a certain behemoronth's idea by the way, I sent him somewhere that had people with sentience in it, so he could quickly regain his sanity."

Star closed her eyes and started chuckling, making Hekapoo raise an eyebrow before the fake queen opened her eyes again, revealing they were chrome with pink sclera as she said, with a much deeper voice:

"Thanks for the directions!"

Seemingly realizing what this meant, Hekapoo tried to chase after Star as she flew towards the forest, only to be stopped by Solaria and Lekmet finally remembering they were fighting her and resuming the fight, successfully clashing with her.

"Get out of the way, you two!" Hekapoo demanded, trying to overpower the queen and goat chancellor. "I get the feeling I know exactly what Star's up to, and she must be stopped before she endangers us all!"

However, it wasn't long before Hekapoo was overpowered and sent flying into the ground, with Solaria and Lekmet charging energy spheres-Solaria a white one and Lekmet a dark green one-as Solaria proclaimed:

"You should've thought about that before you decided to get into a fight with us!"

The pair shot the spheres at Hekapoo, with the spheres combining into a white-green stripped sphere as Hekapoo stood up and grabbed the attack with one hand, stopping it just long enough for her to throw a flashing red glare at it, causing the sphere to explode.

Meanwhile, with Star, the girl suddenly regained consciousness and grabbed her head, without stopping her flight.

"What just happened? It felt like something took me over without warning," she said to herself, shaking her head afterwards. "Well, I can think about that later, I gotta focus on what's important: Find Marco, and stop him from causing any more problems!"

 ** _Meanwhile, at the camp..._**

The Children of Globgor checked the empty camp for any signs of Mewmans, while Higgs watched from the sidelines in the bushes. She was soon joined by Kelly and Tad, who both looked upset at her.

"Higgs, what are you doing?" Tad asked, getting the redhead's attention. "We got orders to follow, you know?"

"I just can't believe your queen told us to ignore the camp and go to your cabin," Higgs answered, focusing solely on the camp. "I mean, the children are right there, totally vulnerable for an attack! We should be striking right now!"

"Such thinking only brought death to our side, Higgs," Kelly remarked, placing a hand on Higgs' shoulder. "And besides, I think I know what Queen Meteora was thinking when she gave the order. And trust me, it's a good idea."

"Yeah, now quit moping about it and let's get going," Tad sternly added.

Higgs turned to the duo, then turned back to the camp, where a group of the children were walking to another child, this one rather pudgy in shape. Higgs took a deep breath, nodded, and followed the duo to the cabin, leaving the camp behind.

Some of the children promptly took off their cloaks, revealing themselves to be the cheerleader team, with Alfonzo and Ferguson flying above them, and Mrs. Skullnick.

"Well, we've checked the camp," Sabrina said. "And we can safely conclude there's nothing here."

And then Skullnick looked up. "Well, nothing down here anyway."

The rest of the team looked up and saw the floating bodies of the Mewmans in the sky, just... well, floating endless in that particular spot. Their eyes were completely black, and their bodies completely motionless.

One of the hooded Children of Globgor took off their hood, revealing themselves to be Rasticore, who then said, "Looks like the Mewmans' souls have been stolen already."

"And only a Half-Monster could do such a thing," another hooded Child, who revealed themselves to be Mr. Candle, said. "Which means the Queen of Clubs, Meteora, was the one who did it."

With that in mind, the whole group felt a shock wave hit them, and they turned around to see the monstrous Meteora and Globgor clashing, which were the cause of the shock waves. They were fighting not too far away from the camp, either.

"Huh, how didn't we notice that earlier?" Ferguson pondered, scratching his head.

And then he and Alfonzo narrowly dodged a dark purple blast that came out of nowhere, only for Eclipsa to materialize out of nowhere, form a pair of giant hands out of her purple aura, and pummel the spirit boys with them, before smacking them straight into the ground, much to the horror of their respective girlfriends, Sabrina and Chantelle:

"Alfonzo!" Chantelle screamed.

"Ferguson!" Sabrina shouted.

"Sorry that I introduced myself by beating up your spirit slaves," Eclipsa said, teleporting between Chantelle and Sabrina before grabbing their heads. "But since they're, well, spirits, they'd be the biggest pain out of all of you."

Eclipsa made Chantelle and Sabrina butt heads, knocking them unconscious as Mr. Candle and Mrs. Skullnick charged at her, the former wreathed in flames and the latter ready to swing her battle axe.

Eclipsa simply smirked, and faced her attacks: She blocked Skullnick's war axe with one hand, while she grabbed and held Candle's arms tightly with her free one. She then pushed Skullnick away, and seemingly corrupted Candle's flames, slowly turning them purple until she absorbed them and transferred them to her free fist, which she punched Candle with.

The resulting punch was hard enough to send him flying off into the distance, until he became a twinkle in the sky.

But the attacks didn't end there, as the rest of the cheerleaders tried to gang-rush Eclipsa, only for the woman to dodge their attacks and hit them back, knocking them out cold in the process. And finally, Rasticore jumped up and started his dimensaw as he swung it... only for Eclipsa to jump over the saw and kick him right in the jaw hard enough to knock off some teeth, and send him crashing into a tree.

The septarian was still conscious after that, surprisingly enough, so Eclipsa walked up to him, put a foot over his stomach and stated, with a threatening tone:

"I got some questions for you."

 ** _Back at St. Meteora's..._**

Marco and Festivia-Mina's fight continued, with the boy raising an eyebrow with curiosity as he took a closer look at the lady, who was in the middle of throwing a barrage of punches at him.

"Your name, no, the name of the one controlling the body, is Festivia, right?" Marco asked, raising an eyebrow. "I thought you hated Mina with a burning passion."

"Well, we kinda had no choice!" Festivia-Mina stated, pausing to charge her fist. "After all, desperate situations require desperate measures!"

Festivia-Mina threw a punch, but Marco caught it effortlessly.

"My apologies, I can't tell if I'm supposed to be flattered or insulted," the monster narrowed his eyes. "Are you saying Mina Loveberry, the most powerful soldier in Solaria's army, can't beat me on her own?"

"No, we're saying that working together is the only way to guarantee your defeat!" Festivia-Mina growled. "We're not going to let you destroy our home!"

The possessed soldier headbutted Marco hard enough to send him crashing into a wall, with the cracks expanding until they stopped at the ceiling, the wall collapsing soon after.

Marco, however, stood up and dusted himself afterwards, barely bruised.

"Home? You really consider a place like Mewni home?" he asked, cracking his fingers. "Mina was exiled years ago, and she never tried to return. And while I can't see into the past, I don't need to: The records make it clear that Festivia didn't have it any better than Mina."

"Records?!" Festivia-Mina asked before snapping, "You're bluffing! There's no way there could be records about Mewni's history anywhere but Mewni itself!"

"Oh no, there's such a thing in Earth," Marco smirked. "We call them "history lessons."

The monstrous teenager leaped forward to Festivia-Mina, who narrowly dodged the leap and kicked him in the back, disorienting him and sending him rolling off to a wall. Soon after, the boy regained his balance and landed on all four, chuckling before swinging his tentacle-tail at the soldier, who jumped several time to dodge it before grabbing it with her hands and spinning around until she threw the guy through a window, shattering it to pieces.

Festivia-Mina jumped through the window and landed on the ground, with a seemingly knocked-out Marco laying motionless on the floor. The possessed soldier walked closer to him, and gently kicked him, prompting the boy to suddenly look up and teleport behind her, saying:

"Teleportation's a bitch!"

Just as he swung his fist, however, Festivia-Mina teleported behind him and scoffed:

"You can say that again!"

The soldier threw a punch, and Marco caught it and gritted his teeth, before the duo teleported all over the place repeatedly, trying to gain an upper hand over the other.

 ** _Meanwhile, at the Forests near the Reformatory..._**

Star flew across the skies, taking a look at her surroundings in search of the reformatory. Or really, anything that could give her a hint as to where it was.

"Ugh, of all the places that stupid robot Olga could build that place, it had to be in the middle of a dense forest!?" Star complained to herself. "At this rate, Marco will destroy the reformatory before I get there!"

Then, the fake queen looked at the ground and spotted Arms among the trees, slowly moving forward and watching her step. Immediately noticing she needed help, the Butterfly flew down and landed close to her.

"Arms, are you okay?!" Star asked.

"Y-Your Highness!" Arms exclaimed, trying to keep her balance. "Y-You have to turn back! It's too dangerous to go any further!"

"Calm down, Arms, freaking out won't help anybody," Star asked, helping the four-armed princess stay up. "First off, what happened?"

"Something... someone came out of the sky, and started destroying the reformatory," Arms explained. "They destroyed the guards, Gemini, and absorbed most of the princesses' souls-"

Star immediately panicked. "What about Pony Head?!"

"No, she left to go warn your kingdom," Arms answered. "And I only managed to survive thanks to... Mina Loveberry coming to help me."

"Mina?!" Star asked in shock, before she shook it off and said, "Okay, this is what we'll do: I'll teleport you to a safe place so you can rest there, and while you do that, I'll go deal with this invader-"

"You can't! It's way too dangerous!" Arms exclaimed. "I mean, what if he absorbs your soul!? He's already growing stronger with the souls of the reformatory's princesses, who knows how much stronger he'll become if he does the same to you!"

"He won't, I promise," Star answered. "Now, tell me where he is."

Arms looked at Star in the eyes, took a deep breath, and answered:

"Fine, I'll tell you."

 ** _Marco Versus Festivia-Mina..._**

The teleportation spamming between Marco and Festivia-Mina came to an end as the boy finally grew tired of going all over the place, just as the possessed soldier teleported behind him and kicked his neck, causing his head to tilt a little as he gritted his teeth and grabbed her leg. Festivia-Mina barely got time to react before the boy spun around and threw her right back into the reformatory, completely destroying the wall in the process.

With that done, Marco dashed into the reformatory again, lifted his foot, then slammed it down the ground. Festivia-Mina barely dodged the attack before it connected, and she and Marco fell down as the ground beneath them shattered to pieces, with the possessed soldier taking the chance to grab Marco and aim his in front of them, making him take the brunt as they crashed through a couple more floors.

However, it wasn't long before Marco reacted: He wrapped the soldier with one of his tentacles, and swapped places with her, tightly holding her neck and keeping her in place as now Festivia-Mina was the one crashing through the floor. This culminated in them landing at the deepest portion of the reformatory, where Marco landed on top of the soldier and kicked her in the gut, confirming there were no more floors to crash through before he jumped away, giving the soldier some breathing space.

And then, he spotted something interesting: A wall filled with what looked like some sort of writing, shaped like a bunch of gibberish.

The boy walked towards the intriguing gibberish written on the wall, paying no attention to Festivia-Mina as they stood up and dusted themselves before rushing after him.

"I'm not done yet!" they exclaimed.

However, as soon as they threw a punch, Marco nonchalantly grabbed them by their throat and lifted them, not taking his eyes off the writing as he did. He squinted his eyes closer, and when he failed to get a clearer look at what it read, he turned to the possessed soldier and sternly asked:

"What's this?"

"How am I supposed to know!?" Festivia-Mina yelled with Mina's voice.

"Silence, puppet! I'm asking the puppeteer!" Marco snapped, tightening his grip on the soldier's neck. "Now, I'll ask again: What are those scribbles on the wall?"

"Even if I wanted to answer..." Festivia-Mina said with Festivia's voice, trying desperately to break free from the boy's grasp. "How do you expect me to do while you asphyxiate me!?"

Marco narrowed his eyes, and released the soldier before pushing her towards the wall, with one simple order:

"Tell me what it is."

The living teamwork caught their breath as they tried to think of some sneak attack they could do, but their attention was caught when they actually glanced at the writing on the wall and realized:

"This... this is Celena's writing."

"The High Tyrant?!" Marco exclaimed, taking a step back in shock before he regained his composure and growled, "How can you tell?"

"Mewman writing is done using a specific color, depending on the writer," Festivia-Mina explained, scratching her chin. "See, since the writing on the wall is pink, which is Celena's characteristic color, it means she wrote it."

The boy blinked twice. "You can't be serious-"

And then the singular power couple translated what it read:

"Though my life comes to a stop, neither it nor my reign will end.

For I'll eventually return, thanks to a certain little friend.

Someone who puts up a stern front, hiding their individual scars.

And whose potential lies high above, among the moon and the stars."

Marco scratched his chin as the soldier stated "That's all it says" and dusted themselves.

Even more intrigued by the revelation, Marco turned around and scratched his chin in thought, with Festivia-Mina looking at him for a moment, wobbling a little as she tried to find an opening for an attack.

When the boy remained in that stance for a while, the living teamwork tried to punch him... but Marco simply grabbed her punch, slammed her into the ground, and for good measure, kept her in place by putting his foot on top of her chest. With that done, Marco reached for her face and parted her bangs, revealing the Clubs fragment where her left eye was supposed to be.

"I see, so you held the fragment of Clubs all along," Marco narrowed his eyes. "One of the four fragments keeping Celena at bay."

Marco grabbed the gem eye's edge, causing the possessed soldier to flinch as he said:

"You know, I remember Hekapoo telling me something about these fragments, besides them being the reason why Celena never returned after being stabbed with the Blood Moon sword."

Then he rolled his eyes. "And before you ask, yes, I would explain what I'm talking about, but I'm literally talking to the one who did it, do I really need to explain it?"

Marco started pulling the gem eye, causing Festivia-Mina to scream in pain as she tried punching, kicking, just anything she could do to get the boy to stop pulling. Unfortunately, nothing she did managed to get more than a mere glare from Marco, prompting the guy to pull harder until he ripped the fragment right out of the soldier's eye socket, turning her back to normal.

Seeing the soldier was now harmless, Marco threw the fragment on the ground and shattered it, releasing the person inside it: Festivia Butterfly.

Now back with a physical body, Festivia's first action was to run up to the unconscious Mina and shake her, trying to get a reaction out of her.

"Don't worry, she's just unconscious," Marco stated as he walked to the exit. "Although, if I were you, I'd take her to a hospital or something fast. Who knows how long she'll last before the shock and blood loss get to her."

"Wait, that's it? You're not even going to try steal my soul?" Festivia asked in disbelief, getting the guy to stop. "That was your plan?"

"Yes, it was, but I've grown tired from dealing with you, and I have much more pressing matters to attend," Marco turned to Festivia and smirked. "But don't worry, hopefully next time we meet, we won't have to trade fists. And who knows, maybe I'll be an entirely new person."

With that said, Marco walked out of the building, leaving Festivia to deal with the unconscious Mina on her own. And though it took a while, the guy managed to get out of the deepest point and walk out the main door, paying no attention to the destruction he caused as he walked out of the gates.

"Two fragments down, two to go," Marco remarked as he saved his hands on his pockets. "It might not've been the best idea to destroy one of the things sealing the one person capable of stopping me at bay, but oh well, as long as one fragment remains, I got nothing to worry about."

"Nothing except me, of course."

Marco opened his eyes and looked straight at the source of the voice, who turned out to be none other than Star herself, still in her Butterfly form, her three set of arms folded.

"Oh, Your Highness, what a surprise that we meet again!" the boy said with a fake smile. "Or that's what I'd like to say, anyway. What are you doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious? I heard from Hekapoo, and a little princess called Arms, that you're heading to Mewni so you can destroy it," Star answered, raising an eyebrow. "Although, Globgor and his children are already doing some of the work for you. I hope you don't mind."

Marco folded his arms and chuckled. "Somebody's doing my job, huh? Well, I guess that's more reason to get going. So, if you don't mind,"

The boy narrowed his eyes and put his hands on his hips. "Get out of my way before I beat you to an inch of your life!"

Star aimed one of her arms and Marco and quickly charged an energy ball before shooting it at him, only for the boy to grab it with his arm, cling his fingers into it, and seemingly absorb it until it dissipated out of existence. And as Marco narrowed his eyes, Star spread her wings and flew towards him, proclaiming:

"You'll only get to Mewni over my dead body!"


	33. Attack On Mewni V

**And now, we go to the next part of the "Attack on Mewni" saga. And this one... let's just say something big happens here, and leave it at that.**

 **As for how many chapters there are left before this arc ends... I don't know, but we're getting pretty close to the climactic finale. So, hang on tight, everybody! :)**

 **But first, let's answer some reviews:**

 **1) Nobody245: Underground organization... imagine that. And yeah, the Star vs Sol/Marco fight is bound to get interesting. Also, congrats on getting a new account! :D**

 **Now, to the chapter!**

* * *

Back where we left off, Star and Marco clashed, engaging in a power struggle as they shared a little dialogue:

"Hey, remember a long time ago, when you said you didn't want to hurt me? That violence wasn't the solution?" Marco scoffed, narrowing his eyes. "Where did that stuff go, anyway?!"

"Sorry, Marco, or should I say, Sol," Star answered, getting a glare from the guy in response. "But my ideals don't apply in this situation!"

Marco hissed and headbutted the fake queen, stunning her long enough to overpower her and kick her hard enough to send her flying. However, Star quickly regained her composure and managed to land on a tree she would've crashed into otherwise.

And then Marco lunged straight at her, forcing her to fly up and dodge the attack, with Marco's crash splitting the tree in two. Then, before the upper part could hit the ground, Marco grabbed it and got ready to throw it when Star charged and shot an energy blast.

The monstrous guy leaped back and flinched when Star charged several more energy blasts at Marco, who dodged at first before he started using the tree as a club, hitting the blasts back at Star. Obviously, the tree slowly burned up until it was only a stub, which was incinerated with another blast.

With that done, Marco glared at Star, who had her arms folded with a confident smile. She then spread one arm out and did the "come at me" gesture, making the guy grit his teeth and clench his fists.

 ** _Meanwhile, with Globgor and Meteora's fight..._**

The King of Monsters and the Queen of Clubs headbutted each other, sending the other backing away a little before they rushed at each other and launched a barrage of fists, with the barrages colliding at the same time.

Eventually, the barrages stopped and the behemoths went for more conventional punches, which they both dodged for a while until Globgor dodged one of Meteora's punches, grabbed it, and then lifted her before slamming her against the floor, then lifting her again and slamming her against the other side.

Globgor kept slamming his daughter like this until Meteora swung her tail at her father's face, distracting him long enough to break free and crash down on him, pining him against the floor as she proceeded to punch him in the face repeatedly.

This continued until Globgor grabbed both of Meteora's hands, taking advantage of the Half-Monster's ensuing shock to knee her in the stomach, then kick her right in the face, ending her flying up in the air before he jumped up and smacked her downwards, sending her plummeting to the ground.

However, the smoke cloud didn't even dissipate before Meteora leaped out of it and lunged straight for her father, who narrowed his eyes and grabbed her hands, gripping them as he spun around, then threw Meteora off into some trees, crashing hard enough to destroy them.

Meteora quickly recovered, ripped off some of the trees, and started throwing them at the behemoth, who slapped them away as he sternly asked:

"When are you going to take this seriously, Meteora? Quit playing around, and hit me with all you got!"

This made the monstrous Queen of Clubs stop her tree-throwing. "What are you talking about?"

"Do you seriously think you can trick me?" Globgor folded his arms. "You're the daughter of not just the king of monsters, a sizeshifter with enough strong to tumble towers like nothing, but one of the Queens in the Council of Queens of Mewni! And not just any queen, but one of the strongest queens alive!"

Meteora frowned. "Dad..."

"Your current state is not you at your strongest," Globgor narrowed his eyes. "And until you take this seriously and fight me with all you got, then I too won't hit you with everything I got."

Meteora blinked twice, and she narrowed her eyes as they glew green, before she shoot her double soul-sucking eye beams at Globgor, who simply reacted with a _quadruple_ eye beam of his own. Having more eyes, apparently, gave the behemoth the ability to slowly overpower Meteora's beam, until the clash caused both beams to explode, sending Meteora flying away while Globgor remained in place.

However, once he opened his eyes, the behemoth noticed that everything looked incredibly blurry, and from an outsider's point of view, the yellow in his eyes had become so light, they almost looked white.

Noticing this, the king sighed:

"I, sadly enough, stand corrected."

 ** _Then, with Eclipsa..._**

The Queen of Spades suddenly felt herself shedding a single tear, which happened while she was staring angrily at a tied up Rasticore.

"Are..." the septarian tilted his head. "Are you crying?"

The queen blinked and reached for her cheek, where she caught the tear and looked at it, realizing what the reptillian monster meant.

"Huh, seems like it," Eclipsa nonchalantly threw the tear away. "Ever since I studied the dark arts, my body's been acting weird: Like now, I was so focused on squeezing you dry of information, my body reacted on its own."

Then, the queen felt a pair of presences approaching and she calmly turned around to see those presences belonged to Alfonzo and Ferguson, who tried to punch and kick her respectively.

Eclipsa blocked their attacks without even looking at the boys, instead just bluntly telling them:

"First rule of being a familiar: If your master can't cast spells, then you're helpless."

The queen, still without looking at the boys, threw them off into the cheerleaders, right on top of Chantelle and Sabrina, to be exact. This crash caused the girls to recover and back up to notice their boyfriends shivering.

"Alfonzo! Ferguson!" Sabrina exclaimed. "Are you guys okay?!"

"We are now that you're awake again," Ferguson answered before turning to Eclipsa, who was staring at the team. "We tried doing a sneak attack against that lady, but it didn't work!"

Chantelle and Sabrina exchanged looks, nodded, and stood up as Sabrina started searching the spellbook for some spells, with Eclipsa getting an amused look at the sight.

"Children, did my soft, gentle blows to your heads made you forget?" Eclipsa scoffed. "I dealt with you and your friends without so much as breaking a sweat, do you really think there's any hope of beating me?"

"Typical Mewman, boasting about their superiority ahead of time," Sabrina growled as she opened the book. "Give us a few seconds, and we'll make you eat your words."

"A few seconds, you say?" Eclipsa lowered her eyelids. "I have a better idea: I give you five minutes, and if you haven't found anything when those minutes are over..."

Eclipsa turned to Rasticore, created a scythe out of her shadow and sliced off his arm, with the septarian barely getting to scream in pain before the queen promptly morphed the scythe into a sphere, and threw it at him, blowing up his body completely.

Then, she turned to the startled teenagers and stated, with a sadistic grin:

"That will happen to you."

 ** _Then, with Mr. Candle..._**

The man slowly woke up and opened his eyes to see a pair of blurry people looking at him, with one saying, with a slightly gender-neutral voice:

"Do you think he'll wake up anytime soon?"

The man blinked twice and rubbed his eyes, clearing his vision enough to let him see the people looking at him were Tom and Janna, the former smiling as he said:

"Yeah, I think he will."

Janna immediately hugged Mr. Candle, who returned the hug as he tried to remember what happened: The most he could remember was a certain green-haired Mewman queen coming out of nowhere, trashing both him and Mrs. Skullnick, and sending him flying off in the distance.

That, and clashing with a cat along the way. What the heck was a cat doing in Mewni, was among the many questions the guy had in that moment.

"Um, what's going on?" Mr. Candle asked as Janna helped him stand up. "What are you two doing here?"

"Well, I'm looking for Marco, to see if he's doing okay," Tom answered before he placed a hand on Janna's shoulder. "Janna here, however, is heading to Mewni in order to help with the war effort."

Mr. Candle raised an eyebrow. "On whose side?"

Tom scratched the back of his head and grimaced. "Mewni's side."

The man, understandably shocked, looked at the girl with an expression of disbelief. "What? Really? I thought you didn't like Mewmans!"

"I don't, but from what that Hekapoo lady said, she wanted Marco to help her destroy the kingdom," Janna lowered her head. "She's basically using him in order to do that, so, I want to protect the kingdom out of spite."

Candle put both hands in Janna's shoulders and stared at her eyes directly, saying:

"Janna, you heard about the Sun of Destruction, Sol, or Marco, whatever his name is now! He was uplifted explicitly to destroy Mewni! If you stand in his way, or in Hekapoo's way, your very life's going to be at risk! What if you have to fight, or Globgor forbid, kill, Marco in order to stop Mewni's destruction!?"

"I'm not planning to go that far!" Janna snapped. "I'll just try to beat some sense into him, and hope that he fights back that lady's control!"

Janna frowned. "It's the only thing I can do right now."

"And besides," Tom snapped his fingers. "She's not marching into the battle alone."

Just then, Candle and Janna turned around to see an army marching towards them, one that was seemingly made of Mewmans, judging by the marks on their cheeks. These Mewmen, however, were a bit... different: They were all completely blood-red, their eyes had black sclera and glowing pupils, and they were bleeding some black liquid from the edges of their mouths, nostrils, and other orifices.

Some were even crying that stuff.

"What are those things?!" Candle exclaimed, holding Janna close to him.

"Bloody Mewmans," Tom folded his arms. "Mewmans that died due to a literal heartbreak: Their hearts were broken by the very dispair they felt after either being cheated on, or having their partner break up with them."

Mr. Candle looked at Tom with a disturbed look. "Such a thing can happen? And why are you so casual about it?"

The demon king smiled half-heartedly with a tired look. "You get used to it."

Then he turned to Janna and put a hand on her shoulder. "Now, Janna, I'll go see if I can find Marco. You lead the Bloody Mewmen into the battlefield, and be careful, okay?"

Janna nodded, and the Half-Mewman Half-Demon flew away as Janna walked to Mr. Candle's side. "So, are you coming with me to the war?"

"Janna, you should know me by now," Mr. Candle brushed the girl's hair. "I'm not letting you go anywhere near that war without me being present."

Just as Janna giggled, though, the army's attention was caught by another army appearing soon after: One composed entirely of septarians, and which was being lead by none other than Brittney.

"Brittney?!" Janna exclaimed.

Spotting the army in the distance, Brittney and her septarians stopped close to them, allowing the girls to take a better look at each other.

"Janna? Is that you?" Brittney asked in disbelief. "What happened? Why do you look like that?"

"First off, can I say how funny I find it that you're not freaking out over me looking like some sort of demon girl?" Janna pointed out. "As for what happened, well, long story short: I wanted to learn fire magic, so I went to the underworld, and found out that a way to do that was to drink demon blood and turn into a pseudo-demon."

Brittney paused, then nodded. "Okay then."

"Really?!" Janna exclaimed. "Just like that, you buy it?!"

"Janna, we've live in the same house for years," Brittney answered, shaking her head with an amused smile. "I know you well: If you ever got the chance to turn into a demon, I know you would take it, no questions asked."

"Okay..." Janna glanced at the septarians. "Anyway, what are you doing with septarians? Didn't you fear them?"

"Well, these ones seem to see me as some sort of deity, because I uplifted them or something," Brittney answered. "My head's a bit over the place at the moment, so I can't recall exactly what they told me."

"I understand your pain, sis," Janna then got an idea. "Hey, how about we join forces and go defend Mewni together?"

"Defend Mewni?" Brittney repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, the redheaded lady that teleported us away? She wants to destroy Mewni," Janna explained. "So I was thinking we could defend it to spite her. What do you say?"

"Hmm..." Brittney shrugged. "I guess it's better than having to fight you and everybody else."

"Great!" Janna reached for her back, took out her demon sword and proclaimed, "Bloody Mewmen, march forth to Mewni!"

Brittney turned to the Septarians and similarly exclaimed, "Septarians, march there as well!"

Both armies began marching towards the kingdom, with the girls and Mr. Candle following them as they marched.

 ** _Star Versus Sol/Marco..._**

The queen and the guy clashed in the skies, with Marco diving straight to Star to attack her, only for the girl to open a portal and send him straight into her knee, allowing her to then kick him hard enough to send him plummeting to the ground.

Star then flew down, and as soon as she hit the ground, Marco came out of the crater he left behind and asked:

"You don't get tired of this, do you?"

Star raised an eyebrow, and Marco explained:

"Look, the first time we met, we fought in order to determine whether you'd get something from our museum. It was a dumb reason to fight, but what matters is that we fought. Then, when my parents and I came to Mewni for business deals, you challenged me to a duel, and while you made it clear you didn't want to hurt me, we still fought. And now, here we are: I'm a monster with the power, and destiny, to destroy Mewni, and you're the only member of the council who doesn't have her arms tied with something else."

"So?" Star sternly asked.

"I spelled it out to you with my first question: You don't get tired of this, do you?" Marco repeated, folding his arms. "We've fought three times in a row: The first one was stupid on both our ends, the second time I can forgive because it was done to get a point across. And now, we're fighting because you don't want your kingdom's end to come far sooner than it should be. It's... honestly tiresome, if you ask me-"

Suddenly, Marco was hit by an energy blast coming from Star, who stared at him sternly as she stated:

"I'm not someone who can fall for such simple tricks, Sol. You're just trying to get in my head so you can go destroy Mewni, aren't you?"

The boy dusted himself. "Hey, it was worth a shot."

Marco extended his tentacles towards Star and started swinging them at her, trying to get a hit on her. Star, however, dodged the tentacles until she could grab them, letting her pull the guy to her. Once close enough, Star kicked him straight in the gut and then pulled him back, kneeing him in the same spot before pulling him again, rinse and repeat until Marco fought back:

He kicked Star straight in the chin, then swatted her away with his tentacles, giving him some breathing space.

Star took the chance to catch her breath too, and in that moment, she remembered the dream she had before: Marco, as a princess, sleeping on a bed, with the voice once again saying "Only a kiss of true love will wake up the princess."

"I see..." Star remaked out loud, gaining a smile. "I think I get it now."

A short bit later, Marco finished recovering and got ready to counter anything the queen threw at him... only for Star to do absolutely nothing.

"What's wrong? Why aren't you attacking?" Marco asked, folding his arms with a displeased glare. "Don't tell me your ideals decided to kick in at the last second?"

"No, that's not it: I just realized what I have to do to put an end to this monstrous form of yours," Star stated, folding her arms. "And, simply put: Violence isn't the answer."

"And just when I was thinking I had seen the absolute worst of Mewmanity, you appear and promptly prove a pacifistic Mewman," Marco cracked his knuckles. "Why can't you be like the rest of your kind and fight until it literally kills you!?"

Suddenly, Star teleported in front of Marco and hugged him, stunning the guy long enough to lean forward and say:

"Because I have one little thing to fix: You."

Star promptly kissed Marco and held him as tightly as she could as the guy tried to push her away, with no success. Not only that, but thanks to his odd biology, simply contact with his tongue caused Star's soul to be absorbed by Marco, who watched in shock as the girls' eyes slowly turned back and she slowed down, until her eyes became wholy black, her Butterfly form literally melted away, leaving her back in her base form... and she released Marco and hit the ground, motionless.

For the first few seconds afterwards, the boy stood completely still, staring at the horizon as his unblinking eyes went from their monstrous pink sclera and yellow pupils, back to his normal eyes... or a close equivalent: The sclera remained pink, but his pupils grew bigger and became brown.

And then he returned to reality and saw the motionless Star on the ground.

"Star!" he screamed, crouching down and trying to get the fake queen to react. "No, please no, don't tell me this was the only way! Don't tell me I had to absorb your soul! Don't tell me I..."

The guy looked at Star's black eyes, and somberly uttered, "I had to kill you..."

Marco looked at his tentacle-like fingers, but just as he wondered what the hell he was doing, something else caught his attention: Some red energy of sorts was starting to spread from his body, starting from his heart. Moments later, when the energy was covering half his body, Marco started floating up, with the energy splitting in two: One half going on to cover the boy completely, while the other created a sphere around him, also in red.

Then, the sphere started cracking as Marco's shadow contorted, then spread his arms before letting out a titanic roar just as the sphere shattered, unleashing a red pillar of light from his position.

And as it was sent flying away by the force of the pillar, Star's lifeless body smiled.

As for the pillar, it was so big and powerful, it could be seen all across Mewni: The first person to notice it was, of course, Tom, who immediately flew towards it to see what was going on.

The pillar could also be seen from the reformatory, where Festivia, still carrying Mina, looked at it with a look of disbelief before she continued searching for a place to heal the soldier. However, she stopped when she saw something that caught her off-guard:

The princesses whose souls Marco had absorbed, walked out of the building, no worse for wear.

Next, Globgor and Meteora looked at the pillar, the latter in shock while the former narrowed his eyes. And nearby, at the kingdom of Mewni, Rafael, Angie, River, and Moon saw the pillar too, the latter two looking horrified while the former two were confused.

"It can't be..." Moon said out loud.

"What can't be, Your Highness?" Rafael asked. "Do you know something about that thing?"

Without thinking about it, Moon dropped River off her back, saying, "Sorry, River, but-"

"Shut up and go check on Star!" River exclaimed as he fell... right into Rafael's arms.

Moon nodded and immediately flew towards the pillar... and along the way, she crashed into Pony Head.

"Sorry, Your Majesty, I didn't see where I was going!" Pony Head said.

"Whatever, that's not important!" Moon said before pointing at the pillar. "Look over there!"

Pony Head obliged and faced the pillar, a frown developing all over her face as the sentient pony head and the queen quickly flew towards it.

And all the way over the camp, Eclipsa and the cheerleaders looked at the thing as well, the latter horrified, while the former was more along the lines of confused. And of course, Janna, Brittney, and their armies also saw the pillar, but they were too busy marching to pay attention to it for long.

Finally, at the spot where Hekapoo, Lekmet, and Solaria were fighting, their brawl stopped as soon as they noticed the pillar, with Hekapoo shivering as Rhombulus and Omnitraxus soon appeared.

"Hekapoo, whatever you do, don't-!" Rhombulus exclaimed, only to notice the thing. "Oh... don't tell me that's..."

Wholly reunited, the commission could only look at the pillar in shock as it changed its color from red to pink, fully confirming their fears. Especially Hekapoo, who dropped to her knees.

"It's too late..." the redhead lowered her head. "She's back now..."

And finally, back with Marco, the pillar vanished into the light as the boy slowly fell down, landing safely as his new form became fully visible:

His pink-purple skin was gone, having returned to a normal, tanned skin color.

His eyes were no longer yellow or brown with pink sclera, but a crimson color verging on orange, and his eyes had a peculiar style: A big pupil, with several triangle-shaped lights around it, forming the image of a sun.

His body was back to normal too: No tentacles anywhere besides the ponytail, which had returned back to looking like a regular ponytail, rather than a mix of tentacles cruedly resembling one.

And finally, though the boy himself couldn't see them, he gained a pair of cheekmarks: Red, sun-shaped cheekmarks to be exact.

"Ugh, why does my head hurt?" Marco asked, scratching his head before looking around. "And... where's Star?!"

"I'm right here."

The boy flinched and turned around to see the voice came from Star, who was in a similar spirit state as Ferguson and Alfonzo: Slightly transparent, and surprisingly shiny.

"Star?" Marco frowned. "What happened? Why do you look like that?"

"Um, don't you remember?" Star put her hands on her hips. "I kissed you, that somehow made you absorb my soul, and through some process that I'm still not quite sure about, you turned back to normal!"

And then she noticed the look of his eyes, and his cheekmarks. "Well, a different kind of normal than I expected, but hey! You're not a monster anymore!"

"Huh..." Marco looked at his palms and clenched his fists. "Yeah, it feels good to be normal again, even if you had to give up your soul to do it."

"Hey, don't mention it, I'm glad we found a way to resolve this without beating each other to near-death," Star answered before clasping her hands. "And besides, I get to save my nephew from remaining Hekapoo's puppet!"

Star thought about it, then scratched the back of her head. "At least, I think you're my nephew, anyway!"

Marco smiled, but it wasn't long before he realized something:

"Wait, every other soul I absorbed returned to their original bodies, so why are you still within me? Shouldn't you return as well?"

The duo then heard somebody laughing, and they looked around the forest for the source of the laughter as it spoke:

"Well, I have to admit, you certainly surprised me, Star Butterfly."

Marco steadied himself while Star flinched, "Huh? Me?"

"Yes, I'm talking to you, Star sweetie," the voice continued, slowly getting louder. "You know, the first time I sent you that dream about the wight, I was sorely disappointed with how you chose to deal with it."

"So it was you who showed me the dream about Marco becoming a wight!" Star scratched her chin. "Did you also give me the dream about kissing Marco being the key to free him from his monster phase?"

"Excuse me, what?" the boy asked, understandably confused.

Star patted the boy's back. "I'll explain everything to you later."

"Yes, I sent you the message, but I was a bit reluctant because, again, the way you chose to deal with it was disappointing," the voice said, now sounding a lot clearer as it stopped and watched the duo from the sidelines, appearing as a shadowy figure, with a familiar look. "But, I'm happy to say you performed much better than I thought you would! Congratulations!"

"Hehehe, thanks, mysterious voice," Star scratched the back of her head. "But, uh, if you don't mind me asking, why do you look like me?"

"Ohoho, sweetie..."

The figure walked forward, fully revealing herself to be none other than Star's soulless body, eyes still pitch black as she spoke:

"I'm afraid you got the question completely backwards. It's you, darling, who looks like me."

"What the hell?!" Marco exclaimed, clenching his fists. "Since when can Mewman bodies move on their own without a soul?!"

"They can't! Somebody must be possessing it!" Star narrowed her eyes. "Who are you, and why are you in my body!?"

The soulless body chuckled as it closed their eyes, and gained a pink aura. "Who am I? Well, sweetie, I'm nobody special, just..."

The body levitated above the ground, its hair grew wilder and messier, and it opened its eyes again, revealing they had black sclera and... sort of lavender-blue ish pupils.

"Celena Butterfly, the Eternal High Queen!"


	34. Attack On Mewni VI

**Huh, would you look at that: It's already Black Friday, and rather than have a holiday-themed fic for it, I have a Wands of Destiny chapter.**

 **Which might also be the antepenultimate chapter for this saga, too. I just have the feeling there's not much else to do in it, so an ending is most likely coming soon.**

 **And now, let's answer some reviews:**

 **1) Nobody245: From Star's point of view, this would be a show of true family love. After all, she's giving up her soul to save her distant niece-nephew-friend, without knowing if anybody else could do it for her. And besides, since Marco was still affected with the whole "needs to absorb murderer's soul" thing, Star's soul had to be absorbed one way or another. And besides, Celena has a very messed up sense of love anyway, so "romantic" love could also mean "leave-your-body-so-I-can-possess-it" love.**

 **2) LunaraTheCorrupted:**

 *** Celena and Eclipsa: Celena treated Eclipsa like her own daughter ever since she was young, a task that proved a little difficult for her despite being the mother of a particular species. What species? That's a secret. Basically, Celena treated Eclipsa like her own child, to the point of basically spoiling her rotten and instilling her own beliefs into her, like all other Mewmans.**

 *** Celena and Solaria: The two didn't exactly get along. The animosity wasn't as extreme as in Celena and Festivia's relationship, but there was still bad blood between them. And it only got worse when Solaria found out a peculiar piece of truth...**

 **And now, to the chapter!**

* * *

Back where we left off, Celena-Star finished powering up and she flashed a malicious smirk as Marco and Star stood defiantly.

"Star, do you know anything about a Celena?" Marco asked the spirit queen.

"You don't?!" Star exclaimed, startling the guy. "She's the original queen of Mewni! The woman that faced the original Magic High Commission, hell, Glossaryck himself, and lived to tell the tale!"

"And after I'm done with you and your sisters," Celena-Star smirked. "I'll also be known as "Slayer of the Great Magical Godchildren."

Marco and Star raised an eyebrow. "Great Magical What-now?"

"The babies that were empowered by the Magic High Commission, of course!" Celena-Star explained. "I mean, what, you're the descendant-by-proxy of some of the "strongest" beings in existence, and you didn't think you'd get some form of recognition for it?"

Celena-Star cracked her knuckles. "Anyway, you and your sisters are a menace to the order of the universe, so I'm going to kill you in the traditional Mewman way: With extreme prejudice."

Before the seemingly-alive corpse could move, however, she was struck by a fireball, sending her flying up into an incoming energy beam, which then sent her crashing into Moon, who landed in front of the body and punched her right in the gut.

The living body glanced at the Queen of Diamonds and chuckled before Moon threw a barrage of punches and kicks, before slapping her with her tail, sending her plummeting into the ground as two more faces appeared: Tom and Pony Head.

The body looked at the duo and smiled with a blatant hint of condescendence before Pony head charged an energy sphere with her horn and shot it at the body, causing her to, what a shock, fly up high enough to allow Tom to deliver some flame-wreathed punches and kicks to her, before sending her crashing on some nearby trees, tumbling them in the process.

"Um, guys, we appreciate you dealing with whatever that is," Marco shouted at the trio, getting their attention. "But you could tone it down a little, you know? That's Star's body you're hitting!"

However, it wasn't long before the trio, primarily Tom, switched their attention to who they thought the boy was. "Marco, is that you?!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Marco's the name of his human form!" Moon said before pointing at the boy's cheekmarks. "Do you see those cheekmarks? Those are exclusive to Mewmans, meaning he's not Marco, but Sol!"

"Aren't they the same person, though?" Pony Head bluntly pointed out. "I mean, what does it matter if he has cheekmarks or not, or if he's Mewman or not? Just pick one name and stick with it, no need to switch it all over the place."

"You know, I used to say that, if Pony Head was ever the voice of reason, then the situation would be more messed up than it looks," Star sighed. "And actually, come to think of it, can they see me, or is it just you."

"Oh hey, B-Fly! I didn't see you there!" Pony Head remarked as she flew closer to the spirited queen. "But why do you look like that?"

Star smiled sheepishly. "It's a long story."

"One that you won't have the chance to tell."

Everybody turned to the source of that statement, which turned out to be Celena-Star as she dusted herself and walked towards the team.

"I must admit, I wasn't expecting a Half-Septarian to come face me so soon," Celena-Star scoffed. "Oh, and the Half-Demon and a pony head."

"A pony head?!" Pony Head growled. "I'm _the_ Pony Head!"

"Because you're the best among them, or because you're the only one left alive?" Celena-Star smugly inquired before stopping on her tracks. "That's a legitimate question, by the way."

Pony Head gritted her teeth as Star put two and two together. "So... the reason you showed me that dream-"

"Was so you could finally leave your body so I could use it as my own," Celena-Star interjected. "And unlike last time, you actually followed the plan perfectly. I'm impressed, who would've thought that a mere homunculus wouldn't do the same mistake twice?"

The fake queen flinched. "H-Homunculus?"

"What nonsense are you on this time!?" Marco snapped. "Why do you call Star a homunculus? She's clearly a Mewman!"

"A Mewman in looks, but not in origin," Celena-Star stated. "Allow me to explain..."

 ** _Star's Origin..._**

The flashback took the style of shadowy figures in a monochrome location, with one of those figures being Celena herself.

"A long time ago, I was informed that the Septarians, a group of monsters from the land of Septarsis, had killed Comet, the then-current Queen of Diamonds, in cold blood, and were heading straight to Mewni in order to extinguish the one remaining reminder of the time she subjugated them."

The scene changed to show Moon sulking in her room, her hood obscuring her face, leaving only her yellow, glowing eyes visible.

"That reminder, of course, was none other than Moon herself, who was still trying to process what had happened to her poor mother, but the hand of those disgusting lizards."

Moon ran out of her room, with Celena following her until they arrived at Rhombulus' dimension.

"Eventually, she decided to look for help in fighting against the Septarian invasion, bringing her to convince Rhombulus to let her visit his room, ending with a meeting with Eclipsa."

Moon walked up to the crystallized Eclipsa, who looked like she was in a state of mixed horror and sadness. Moon tried talking with Rhombulus, but the sentient crystal didn't budge.

And through this time, Celena watched from the shadows, waiting until the moment Rhombulus left the room.

"However, Rhombulus refused to release Eclipsa, citing some nonsensical trivialities to try and justify himself. So, I went to Moon's side."

Celena came out of the shadows and walked up to Moon's right. She then crouched down to her size and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"In exchange for freeing my sweet Eclipsa," I said, "You'll do me a favor."

Moon raised an eyebrow, but promptly nodded in agreement as there was no point in arguing with the High Queen. The rest of the story played as usual: Eclipsa temporarily got out, the septarians were driven away, Moon became the new Queen of Diamonds, yaddah yaddah yaddah.

"That favor, of course, was to generate a heir, not only to take up Moon's place in case she died, but also serve as the vessel for my ressurrection. But, there was just one problem..."

Sometime later, Moon received some DNA test results from a Mewman doctor, which confirmed one of her worst fears, especially in relation with her deal with Celena.

"Moon's hybrid nature, thanks to conflicting genetics, rendered her infertile, essentially making it impossible for her to have children, and by proxy, fulfill her end of the deal."

Moon shivered as the image of a judging, furious Celena rose above her.

"And I hate people who make deals with me, but don't or can't fulfill their own ends of it."

The scene changed again, this time showing an incredulous Celena looking at Moon as the hybrid got on her knees and started pleading.

"Nevertheless, she did gather the courage to come to my chambers and ask me to wait until.

Then, Celena spotted a group of people entering Mewni, and she and Moon went to meet them. Among these people were the future king River, carrying several blueprints.

"But then, a certain group of something called "alchemists" came into the kingdom. A group known as... the Johanssen."

Moon and River immdiately met face-to-face, which Celena noticed. However, she decided to ignore this little detail and instead focused on talking with the leader of the Johanssen.

"In exchange for letting them live in the kingdom, I asked them to help Moon with her heir issues, and that's when they gave me an idea."

The leader laughed out loud.

"If she can't give birth to a heir, why doesn't she just make one?" they said, and my eyes immediately opened to what that entailed."

Celena smirked and shook hands with the leader.

"I'm interested," I said."

The scene changed, and as Moon and River spent some time together in the fields, Celena and the rest of the Johanssen worked together in some laboratory.

"So, I started working on the project that would eventually become you, Star. A project we titled, "Project: Moonlight Star." I was gonna go with Morning Star, but since that was already taken by a certain demon queen, I decided to go with the next best thing."

Celena brewed some potions and chemicals for the Johanssen to use in their machinations for the project, which involved growing a creature inside a test tube.

"The basic idea for the project was to create a humanoid creature, preferrably a Mewman-based one, to serve as the vessel for my eventual return, but for that we needed some DNA to shape and mold the creature as we could see fit."

Celena cut her wrist, with the wound bleeding some rainbow-like liquid as the High Queen narrowed her eyes.

"Mine was out of the question: Who knew what would happen if such DNA was used? And there was no way I'd allow any Non-Mewman DNA to be used. Plus, every other Mewman available would simply be unworthy for the creation of such an important being."

The High Queen turned around to see River and Moon hugging each other. This gave her an idea, with her smile growing wide moments before the scene changed to show Celena grabbing some of Moon's hair.

"So, I decided that since Moon still needed to fulfill her end, it was only fair her DNA was used, right? So, I decided to grab some of her hair, and while she did resist and even fight me alongside the Johanssen prince at first, I managed to bring her back to her senses."

Celena turned back to see Moon laying on the ground, whimpering as she tried to stand up, coughing a bit of blood. River also laid by her side, looking credibly bruised as well.

"I was even nice enough to go easy on her!"

Celena left the room and returned to the laboratory. She handed the hair to the Johanssen, and they quickly got to work on Star.

"Anyway, with the hair in hand and the Johanssen's expertise in the matter, we managed to grow the homunculus that would become you, Star, perfectly."

Inside the tube, the homunculus slowly grew up from a tiny little ball into a baby-sized Star, until it stopped at Star's current look.

"And, thanks to the Johanssen's thingamajigs, whatever Septarian trace that Moon's DNA had was completely removed, leaving the homunculus as a full Mewman!"

The Johanssen celebrated as Celena walked up to the test tube and smiled, putting her hand on the glass in a way that made it look like she was caressing Star's cheeks...

Then, she slapped her fingers, and the shield-like cheekmarks on the newborn Star's cheeks turned into hearts...

 ** _Back in the Present..._**

Star looked utterly horrified and saddened at the revelation, with everybody else looking absolutely furious at Celena-Star, especially Moon.

"You were never a real Mewman, Star," Celena-Star stated. "You were never Moon's daughter, you were never the Queen of Hearts, you were never even your own being to begin with!"

Marco clenched his fists as the possessed body sadistically stated:

"All you were, and still are, is an object to be used to bring back the only one capable of reforming Mewni, and rule it in eternal, orderly peace: Me. And once that's done, there will be no more reason to keep you around."

The boy's cheekmarks glew as he raised his arm, lifted his index finger, and unknowingly charged what looked like a miniature sun as he exclaimed:

"Okay then, but how will you do that _after I vaporize you!?_ "

Marco shot the sun at Celena-Star, who actually looked worried and flinched as the sun struck her and blew up, causing a large explosion powerful enough to send the team skyrocketing into some of the trees. And moments after, just when the team regained their footing and Marco realized what he did, the smoke cleared out and revealed Celena-Star's status:

She was still standing, although horrifically burnt and scarred. And naked, judging by how her dress was nowhere to be seen. And then she simply regenerated the burnt skin, revealing the body was as blank as a doll's.

"Star, please tell me that wasn't my strongest attack," Marco said, nervously taking a battle stance.

"Why are you asking me?!" the fake queen snapped. "That was your attack! You should know whether it was your strongest one or not!"

"Alright, I was thinking of playing with you for a little while, but it's clear that I can't give you that luxury, Sol," Celena-Star cracked her knuckles. "So, consider yourself honored, Sol!"

The doll-like entity flew towards the boy, shouting:

"I'll start the bloodbath with you!"

 ** _Eclipsa Versus Chantelle and Sabrina..._**

The Queen of Spades nonchalantly cracked her knuckles as the girls lunged at her: Chantelle having boots made from Alfonzo, while Sabrina held the gauntlets made from Ferguson. Sabrina started by slamming the gauntlets against Eclipsa, who blocked it with her arms... and was surprised when the attack actually made her flinch a little.

Then, Chantelle clawed at the queen once before she hit the ground, and started running all over the place faster than Eclipsa could see. And as the queen tried to follow Chantelle's movements, the girl started slashing at her before Sabrina clasped her gauntlets and slammed Eclipsa upwards, followed by Chantelle jumping up and kicking her right in the gut, sending her crashing right into the ground, where Sabrina got on top of her and started punching her repeatedly.

However, just as she prepared to slam the gauntlets down Eclipsa's face, the queen's eyes glew yellow as she sent Sabrina flying with a punch, crashing into Chantelle in the process. With the girl now off her body, the queen stood up and wrapped her arm in darkness, ready to launch it at the girls. However, just as she threw it lasso-style, something grabbed her arm, which she discovered was one of the previously unconscious cheerleaders: Andrea, to be exact.

And she wasn't alone, since Ed dive kicked straight at Eclipsa, kicking her in the neck.

"So, you're back up now?" Eclipsa sternly asked. "You two really should've remained down, now I'll have to put some extra effort in knocking you out!"

"Not if I got something to say about it!"

Eclipsa turned and blocked an incoming war axe strike from Mrs. Skullnick, who caught her breath as she tightly gripped her weapon, which had pierced Eclipsa's skin.

"You got up too?!" the queen snapped, slightly pushing back the weapon, causing the wound to widen. "I know you're not a maginuch, but you should know by now that this fight is hopeless for you and your kids!"

Eclipsa smugly smirked. "I mean, be honest, do you really think you can stand against the strongest queen in Mewni?"

"No, of course we can't beat you," Skullnick smiled. "But that's not what we were doing!"

Eclipsa blinked. "Wait, what?"

The cheerleaders and the teacher jumped away, and as Eclipsa realized what was going on, she was hit right in the back by the combined effort of Mr. Candle and Janna, sending her crashing next to Sabrina and Chantelle's spot. She got up shortly afterward, but not before wincing and putting a hand on her back, while Sabrina and Chantelle got up and ran up to the duo.

"Mr. Candle! You're back!" Sabrina said, hugging the man before she spotted the demonic-looking girl. "Oh, and you brought Janna with you."

"And what's up with her looks?" Chantelle scratched the back of her head. "I mean, I thought she didn't like makeup?"

"This isn't makeup, Chantelle! I'm essentially a demon girl now!" Janna snapped, only to calm down as she realized what she said. "And the explanation for that, uh... is a bit of a long story."

"Save it for later," Sabrina said as she released Candle and turned back to face Eclipsa. "We need your help to beat this witch-!"

"I'm not here to help you, actually," Janna stated. "I just stopped by to say hi before I continue marching with my army towards Mewni."

"What?! Why wouldn't you-?!" Sabrina and Chantelle flinched. "Wait, what army?"

Janna and Candle pointed at the horizon, where the Bloody Mewmen continued marching towards them. Eclipsa soon took a glance at the army, and she seemed intrigued by it.

"An army of Bloody Mewmen?!" the Queen of Spades exclaimed, getting Janna's attention. "Why would a Mewman of any kind follow the lead of a maginuch, let alone a human?!"

"Maybe because I'm not necessarily a full human anymore?" Janna reached for her back and took out her sword. "Also, Tom suggested they might also obey whoever has this sword or something."

Eclipsa gasped at the sight of the sword, and she immediately lunged at it, only for Janna to prepare to strike back with it... and then have Sabrina and Chantelle hit the queen back before Janna could dodge her lunge.

"Hey, I was totally ready to use the sword against her!" Janna snapped at the duo. "Let me be cool for once!"

"Screw you, Janna, she kicked our asses before!" Sabrina snapped, stomping the ground.

"Yeah! And besides, you've had more than enough time to look cool, with what happened between you, Marco, and the other girls!" Chantelle growled, narrowing her eyes. "How about you let us be cool for once, huh?!"

"Somebody please tell me this isn't happening," Mr. Candle sighed, rubbing his temples. "Could you three put aside your problems and focus on the important stuff?"

Eclipsa quickly recovered and yelled, "Where did you get that damn thing!?"

"The sword? Tom said it was a family relic or something, and it's what I've been using to practice fire magic," Janna explained, only to ponder out loud, "Is this important or something?"

"That sword you're holding is the Blood Moon Sword! The very sword used to destroy Celena over a thousand years ago," Eclipsa clenched her fist. "I knew the demons, and especially the royal family, were fucking insane! But I didn't think they'd be crazy enough to give a little brat like you such a dangerous item!"

"Um, for your information, I'm partially demonic myself," Janna scratched her chin with the sword's handle. "Come to think of it, if Tom wasn't screwing with me and was completely serious, for real, then I'm also the princess of the Underworld."

"Janna, don't scratch your chin with the handle!" Mr. Candle snapped.

"Princess?" Eclipsa's eyes widened. "The Underworld has a princess now?!"

"Well, it hasn't been made public yet, I think," Janna shrugged. "So, for now, let's just say I'm a princess-in-training."

Eclipsa leaned a little forward in disbelief, but quickly regained her composure and leaned back. "Whatever! That item doesn't belong to you, so hand it over!"

Janna tilted her head. "Why?"

The queen smirked. "The only one worthy enough to wield that thing is somebody whose heart has been damaged in some way or form. You had to turn into a demon to use it, so as soon as that conversion runs out, you'll be unable to use it. So, don't waste anybody's time, and hand that thing over."

Janna thought about it for a second, hitting her chin with the sword's handle to the exasperation of Mr. Candle. After a while, Janna walked up to Eclipsa, much to the cheerleaders' shock, and leaned the sword closer to the woman.

"Good, you took the right decision," Eclipsa said as she reached for the sword. "It's good to know that being turned into a demon didn't change your ability to see when you're unworthy of something-"

Janna flashed a smirk before she swung the sword, slashing Eclipsa's arm in half and prompting the queen to shoot a blast at Janna with her remaining hand, which the demon-oid girl blocked with the sword before she slashed it in half.

Eclipsa glanced at her dismembered arm, and threw a murderous glare at Janna as she hissed, "Why, you!"

"I don't care if I'm not worthy of this sword or not! And I don't care if you're part of the people whose kingdom I'll protect!" Janna proclaimed, gripping the handle harder. "From the looks of it, you've been hurting my friends. So now it's our time to kick your ass!"

Janna turned to the cheerleading duo and exclaimed, "Chantelle! Sabrina! Come with me!"

The girls exchanged looks, nodded, and went to Janna's side, ready to help the demon-oid face off against the enraged Eclipsa, whose eyes glew yellow as she was surrounded by a dark purple aura...

 ** _Team SolStar/Starco Versus Celena-Star..._**

Marco was sent flying into some trees by Celena-Star's punch, with the possessed body quickly switching her focus to the incoming attack from the rest of the team.

First was Moon, who swung her tail repeatedly and tried to stab Celena-Star with it, only for her to grab the tail and spin around until she threw Moon at the incoming Pony Head and Tom.

Tom dodged the queen, but Pony Head wasn't so lucky, barely noticing before she was struck by the half-Septarian. As for Tom, he generated a pair of fire spheres on his arms and started shooting them at Celena-Star, who folded her arms and glared at the king with a furious look.

Soon enough, Celena-Star bathed in a barrage of fire balls, until she leaped out of the ensuing explosion and headed straight for Tom, who charged a fireball behind his back in the process. Once she was close enough, Celena-Star tried to attack, but the king shot the fireball at her, sending her right back into the explosion.

The possessed doll-like queen powered up, dispersing the explosion completely as Pony Head returned and charged her horn with energy. She then shot a laser at Celena-Star, prompting the possessed being to jump away, with the laser following her until she hid in the forests, with the line left behind by the laser blowing up soon afterwards.

Celena-Star tried to catch her breath, but she was soon interrupted by an intense burning light coming from her back. The light turned out to be from Marco's miniature sun, which he shot moments later, sending the queen back into the battlefield.

Marco leaped out of the forest, and as Star cheered for him in the sidelines, he shot several more miniature suns at Celena-Star, while Pony Head and Tom shot their own energy attacks as well. Moon didn't stay out of it either, generating and shooting icicles from afar.

However, all of that dispersed as Celena-Star powered up again, this time materializing a circular shield-like object behind her, with a floating club and heart symbol at the upper sides. She also regenerated any damage she had gotten from the barrage, mostly from Marco's suns.

As the team processed what just happened, Celena-Star roared like a monster as she dashed straight into Tom, Pony Head, and Moon, before beating them up so fast and so brutally Star and Marco didn't even get time to see the beating before the possessed queen ran after them.

And, despite being a spirit, Star was beaten up just as much as Marco, mostly because Celena-Star used her as a club for the first couple of hits. The next few hits were purely physical, until Celena-Star held Marco by the neck of his shirt, where she charged her fist with magic and then slammed him in the ground hard enough to create an explosion.

Despite that, however, Marco was still alive, although not in any position to fight anymore.

Celena-Star shook her head with disappointment as she regenerated her dress. More specifically, the dress Celena wore, not Star's dress.

"You know, after you shot your miniature sun at me, I figured I would be forced to actually put some effort, although not too much since I haven't been fully freed yet," the doll-like girl sighed. "But alas, you were a disappointment."

Without wasting any time, Celena-Star shoved her hand into the boy's chest, ripped out his heart, and looked at it as it beat a couple times, before she nonchalantly crushed it with her bare hand.

"There, that should give you enough time to think about your worthless life before you join the rest of the mistakes, you scum," the possessed doll-like girl said as she waved the blood off her hand. "Now, if you excuse me, there's a kingdom I have to protect."

Celena-Star clenched her fists. "And some rowdy Great Magical Ones to shatter."

Summoning an aura around themselves... herself... yeah... Celena-Star flew off towards Mewni, leaving behind the battered Tom, Pony Head, and Moon, and the dying Marco on the ground.

"Damn it!" Moon snapped, slamming her fist on the ground hard enough to crack it. "Even with all of us together, we couldn't put a dent in her!"

"Well, what did you expect? We were facing Celena," Tom said as he weakly stood up and dusted himself. "Even if she wasn't at full power, we were still no match for her."

"And we didn't have it any easier once she generated that weird shield with the symbols," Pony Head remarked, flying up. "What was that thing anyway?"

Moon took a deep breath and explained:

"When Celena "died" in the Loveberrian Rebellion, her power was split into four fragments, and in those same fragments, some of the previous queens of Mewni were trapped inside, so they wouldn't interfere with her plan. For every fragment that's shattered

"Well... shit..." Marco remarked, coughing as he tried to stand up, only to fall back down almost immediately. "I guess... destroying Mina's fragment... was a bad idea... after all..."

"Yeah, it sure was."

The team turned around and found the one who said that was none other than Festivia, along with a couple princesses, who were carrying the unconscious Mina.

"Mina!" Moon shoted before running up to the soldier. "What happened?!"

"I took over her body to try fight the guy laying on a pool of his own blood, but he wound up being too strong for us," Festivia explained as she walked to the guy in question. "He then shattered the fragment Mina had, releasing me, but also giving Celena some of her power back."

Marco took a deep, weak breath. "Sorry about that... I... I wasn't really thinking straight back then... I bet you want to kick me right in the bloody wound for what I did to you and your girls, right?"

"I don't know on who should I be more disappointed on," Festivia folded her arms and shook her head. "Mewmanity for cultivating such a terrible image for years, or you, for still thinking that I'd do something so heartless just because I'm a Mewman."

Star raised an eyebrow. "But, aren't you mad for what he did at the reformatory? I mean, I wasn't there when it happened, so I'm not one to talk, but judging from what Arms told me, it was pretty bad!"

"It was, but unlike a certain someone-Eclipsa-I have my priorities straight," Festivia answered, turning to Star as she added, "And right now, what's most important right now is to stop Celena from fully returning to the mortal plane."

"But how are we supposed to do that?!" Tom snapped, walking up to the former headmistress. "Queen Moon over there is on her Half-Septarian-Butterfly-Thing form, both the pony head and I tried throwing everything we could at her, and even Marco, who's the Sun of Destruction mind you, joined in after a while, and she moped the floor with us!"

"Yeah, I don't like being pessimistic," Pony Head sighed. "But no matter how I look at it, the situation's kinda hopeless."

"Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves," Festivia turned to Moon. "Do you know anything about the other fragments, Moon?"

"The Heart and Clubs fragments were broken, but the Spades and Diamonds fragments are still intact," Moon answered, tending to Mina's wounds as she added, "Furthermore, they're nowhere to be found so far, so Celena would have to actively search for them in order to find them."

"Then there's still hope," Festivia clenched her fist. "Moon! You, Eclipsa, Meteora, and Febe will have to join forces in order to seal Celena again!"

"Wait a minute..." Star gasped. "You know who Febe is?"

"That's what shocks you?" Pony Head asked deadpanly.

"What are you talking about?" Marco asked, standing up and clutching his wound.

"The Council of Queens was made for many reasons, and one of those reasons, which rose up after the rebellion, was to develop a technique in order to seal Celena again just in case she started to ressurect," Festivia explained, scratching her chin. "Granted, to do so, some of the queens would have to replace the fragments that were destroyed."

"But... that would mean...!" Marco weakly turned to Festivia, who turned to the boy with a concerned look. "Mom and Meteora... they'd have to become... living seals!"

"Right, you're Febe's son," Festivia put a hand in Marco's shoulder. "Listen, I know it sounds like a terrible thing, but think about it: If those two don't become living seals to keep Celena at bay, they could end up enslaved, or worse, killed by her in order to remove anybody who would make relationships between the council... more difficult..."

"Does your Mom not get along with anybody in the council in particular?" Star whispered in Marco's ear.

Marco frowned. "Eclipsa."

"Yeah, that's a definite ticket to an execution," Festivia then got an idea. "But don't worry, you can stall for time while they prepare the spell to seal Celena."

Star and Marco raised an eyebrow, prompting the woman to explain:

"Let Star enter your body, Sol, and her spiritual properties should heal you back to full strength!"

A pregnant silence later, Festivia sheepishly smiled. "At least, that's how I think it works!"

"Wait, what's the plan here?" Star asked. "I mean, aren't I already in his body?"

"Well, the thing is that, when Marco absorbed your soul, he fulfilled the last requirement needed for him to revive, thus releasing all of the souls in him back into their bodies," Tom explained, getting Marco and Star's attention. "You were no exception, Star, but since your body was taken by Celena, you've been left as a spirit until you find a body to possess."

"Huh, and here I thought I became a familiar or something," Star then realized something. "W-Wait, Marco's a guy, or at least I think he is, and I'm a girl! Won't that be an issue?"

"Star, you may see yourself as female, but as a homunculus you don't have a gender at all," Moon explained. "And besides, possessing somebody never affects the body, so you have nothing to worry about."

"S-Still..." Star twiddled her fingers. "A-Are you okay with this-"

Star turned to Marco, only to panic when she saw the guy clutching his wound and gasping for air. "Marco?!"

"He's trying to hold off from death just a little longer!" Tom hastily explained, getting the spirit's attention. "Star, or you enter his body now, or he'll die for sure!"

The fake queen glanced at the agonizing boy, and took a deep breath before he entered... through his mouth, with the guy looking shocked as he basically swallowed the spirit and absorbed her into his being.

Shortly after, Marco's cheekmarks started glowing as he levitated, and his chest wound slowly regenerated. This was followed by him gaining a circular ring behind his head, which glew an intense yellow as the guy was filled with yellow energy, before he shouted at the top of his lungs and he unleashed a pillar of yellow energy, with everybody else having to stand their ground to not be blown away.

Before long, the boy's shadowy figure appeared, with two more sets of arms flying around him as he clenched his fists and proclaimed:

"Get ready, Celena!"

Then he opened his four, glowing eyes.

"We're coming for you!"


	35. Attack on Mewni VII

**Okay, I can wholeheartedly, positively, completely assure you guys that this is the penultimate chapter of the "Attack on Mewni" saga, and the next one will be its last. It's been a crazy ride, but hopefully you've enjoyed it just as much as I have.**

 **As for when will this story return... can't really say, but I do hope it can return sometime. Or maybe I'll just leave the story on a cliffhanger forever.**

 **That sounds like something that won't bother everybody. XD**

 **Now, let's answer some reviews:**

 **1) Nobody245: I answered this in our pm, correct? But, for everybody else: Plot! XD**

 **2) lelcar: Ohohoho, you have NO idea how utterly insane Celena is, pal...**

 **3) retrogunner7: I'm glad you liked it, I guess.**

 **4) the crack shipping guy: What a name! XD But seriously speaking, I can understand where you're coming from; The first few chapters, I was at a loss on whether I would continue the story or not, or even where it would go, but I'm a bit more in the clear now, thankfully.**

 **5) Golden boomers: Why not both? As for the everyone being bi bit, one of the people who work on the show once joked about everybody being bi, and I decided to make that joke into a reality. Just because.**

 **And now, to the chapter!**

* * *

Back with the behemoth battle, Globgor stared at a crater left after Meteora's latest crash into the ground, moments before he felt a presence he hand't felt in a long time: Celena.

"So, she's returned," Globgor narrowed his eyes. "Celena..."

However, his attention was caught when Meteora leaped out of the crater and tried to slam her fists down his skull, only for him to block them, with the clash releasing shock waves across the plains.

"Have you decided to go all-out yet?" Globgor sternly asked the Half-Monster. "I don't have all day, Meteora! Unleash your full power! Prove to me that you can drive me away!"

Meteora looked shocked for a moment, but she shook off that thought and swung her tail, slapping her father's face for a while until he grabbed it and slammed her right into the ground.

"What do I have to do to make you understand, Meteora!?" Globgor exclaimed as he lifted and slammed his daughter into the ground repeatedly. "Even as a hybrid, and with the souls of hundreds of Mewmen, you have no chance of defeating me!"

Globgor pulled Meteora closer to him, but the Half-Monster took the chance to kick Globgor right in the face, before she used him as a base to jump out of his grasp and land far away from him, giving the Half-Monster a bit of breathing space.

"I've already absorbed the souls of my citizens, and assumed my true form against you, Dad!" Meteora slammed her fist on the ground. "What more do you want from me?!"

Globgor slowly, sternly turned back to glare at the Half-Monster before he slowly walked towards her, prompting Meteora to lift several pieces of rubble off the ground and throw them at the monster king... who calmly crushed them with his bare hands, all without looking away from his daughter.

Then, as soon as the woman stopped throwing stuff, Globgor crouched down and leaped as high as he could, before plummeting towards Meteora, who looked around for something else to throw...

Then, she thought about what her father said, and touched her cheekmarks, remembering she was partially a Mewman...

So she raised her arm and proclaimed:

"Barrier!"

A large purple barrier was generated over Meteora just as Globgor was about to crash into her, and the king laughed as he and Meteora realized what this meant.

"Yes, that's the ticket!" Globgor exclaimed before punching the barrier. "That's what I've been waiting for you to do this entire time!"

Once the barrier started cracking, Meteora spread her arms and made the barrier burst, sending Globgor flying back to his original spot. The man, for his part, laughed and clapped as Meteora looked at her hands in shock.

"Now you got it! That's all you needed to do, sweetheart!" Globgor cracked his knuckles. "Now, let's take this seriously!"

Meteora clenched her hands and nodded in agreement.

 ** _Meanwhile at Mewni..._**

Rafael and Angie fought, while River faced off against Toffee, with the septarian proving to be more than enough of a match for the miniature king.

"So, River, how's my daughter been doing lately?" Toffee asked as he blocked the king's punches. "Have you been able to make her happy?!"

"Her happiness is the first thing I always take care of!" River sternly answered. "But whether she's happy with me or not's none of your business!"

As for Angie and Rafael, the woman shot several magical blasts at the buff man, who swatted them away with his hand until he grabbed a big one she shot, then launched it back at her. Angie narrowly dodged the attack, and sternly looked at Rafael as she caught her breath.

"Angie, stop this pointless fighting!" Rafael exclaimed. "You know that sooner or later, whether by Globgor or the Children's hand, Mewni will be destroyed!"

"But why is that necessary?!" Angie growled in response. "I know this is for our son, and I'm happy you want to protect him as much as I do, but why must you destroy the kingdom to do it?!"

"Mewni isn't just a kingdom, Angie!" Rafael explained. "It's a living power source!"

Angie raised an eyebrow, mostly because she couldn't figure out what was the more important question:

What did that have to do with anything?

Or...

A power source for who?

"I'm afraid he's right," River said, getting the couple's attention. "As long as Mewni stands, then its supreme ruler can never be defeated."

"Supreme ruler..." Angie's eyes widened. "Are you talking about Celena?!"

"Exactly," River sighed. "As long as Mewni stands, then it doesn't matter if the fragments are shattered or not: She'll be as powerful as when she was a Great Magical One."

"And so, this place must be destroyed!"

The people turned around and saw the septarian army barging into the kingdom, without Brittney in sight. However, they stopped as soon as they spotted Toffee.

"Your majesty!" the stand-in septarian king exclaimed, right before he and the septarians bowed down. "We didn't think you'd be here, forgive us for not being informed of this sooner!"

River threw a perplexed look at Toffee, prompting the lizard man to reply, "I didn't call them here! I barely had time to get ready before Globgor sent us here to invade!"

Then he turned back to the stand-in king. "Anyway, what are you doing here? I thought I made it clear you were supposed to guard Septarsis until I returned!"

"We were, your Highness," the fake king looked up. "But we came here by request of Thanatos."

Toffee's eyes widened.

"The Reaper of Mortality? She's here?!"

 ** _Eclipsa Versus Team Janna..._**

The Queen of Spades' aura manifested as a giant fist, which she used to try pummel Janna, Chantelle, and Sabrina as they approached towards her, ready for a strike. The girls narrowly dodged each strike and leaped up before they struck:

First, Chantelle kicked Eclipsa with her boots, knocking out a couple teeth off her mouth. Then, Sabrina slammed her gauntlets down Eclipsa's head and threw a barrage of punches against her, with the queen being hit by each and every punch.

Finally, Janna swung her sword down and slashed at Eclipsa, before swinging her sword repeatedly at the queen, successfully cutting parts of her skin and dress.

That was all they could do, however, before Eclipsa shouted at the top of her lungs, causing her aura to burst with enough force to send the girls flying right back into Mr. Candle. The girls quickly recovered and dusted themselves before they ran straight for Eclipsa, who clutched her chest as she caught her breath.

"Quick!" Janna exclaimed. "Strike while she's weak!"

Eclipsa noticed their incoming assault, and prepared accordingly: She raised her good arm and erected a dark wall from the ground, one which changed location whenever the girls tried to go around it.

With no other way to get to the queen, the girls started slashing and attacking the wall as hard as they could, with small cracks appearing shortly afterwards. They continued attacking for a while, with the wall getting closer and closer to breaking apart...

And then, a sudden howl made the girls stop their attacks.

Higgs, Tad, and Kelly jumped out of the bushes, all three riding on a giant wolf-like monster creature. The creature landed heavily on the ground, and let out a howl potent enough to send the cheerleaders and Mr. Candle away, while Janna and Eclipsa

And as soon as the creature stopped howling, Higgs jumped off and ran up to the Queen of Spades, who kept looking at the creature before she noticed the redheaded squire.

"Your Highness! Sorry we took so long to arrive!" Higgs apologized and bowed down to the queen. "It's just that Kelly's stupid wolf-thing pet wouldn't let me ride him here!"

"I already told you, he's my sparring partner, not my pet!" Kelly snapped as she got off and rubbed the creature's head. "And he has a name, you know? Jorby!"

Higgs shrugged off Kelly's comment as she unsheathed her sword and faced the trio. "Whatever, the point is, we're here to help you, Your Highness!"

"Yeah, sorry, my mind was all over the place until a moment ago, so..." Eclipsa scratched the back of her head. "Who are you again?"

Higgs gasped. "I'm Higgs! Squire to Sir Stabby, one of your better warriors!"

"Oh, right, him," Eclipsa rolled her eyes. "I barely pay attention to him, so some of that apathy probably went towards you as well. Anyway, what are you doing here?"

"We came here to help fight against the Children of Globgor!" Higgs answered before pointing at Kelly, Tad, and Jorby, who were fighting the remaining cheerleaders and Skullnick. "And I, in particular, will help you with those girls and the cross-dressing guy!"

Janna laughed out loud. "That lady-bug called you a guy, Chantelle!"

"Huh?! What makes you think she was talking about me!?" Chantelle snapped before she pointed at Janna. "If somebody's getting confused for a guy, it's you!"

Janna hummed. "Huh, when you put it that way, it makes a lot of sense."

"Briggs, or whatever your name is, get out of here," Eclipsa ordered, getting a surprised look from the redhead in return. "Those three may seem like a bunch of buffons, and they are, but they're not to be taken lightly. Especially the one with the Blood Moon Sword."

"The Blood Moon Sword?!" Higgs exclaimed in disbelief. "I thought that thing was destroyed at the end of the rebellion!"

"Some were destroyed, but not all of them," Eclipsa sighed. "Anyway, if you're really stubborn enough to insist on fighting them, then I'll be on my way back to Mewni."

With that said, Eclipsa ran back to Mewni, leaving Higgs to take care on the trio of Chantelle, Janna, and Sabrina all at once. She gripped her sword, charged towards them, and leaped as high as she could before she tried slashing the trio.

Predictably, she was defeated, but in an unexpected way: Brittney flew down from the skies and kicked Higgs right in the gut before she could hit the trio, sending her flying into some trees.

"Brittney?! What are you doing here?!" Janna asked, getting the goat-themed girl's attention. "Weren't you heading to Mewni with the Septarians?!"

"I already sent the Septarians over there, and since their king Toffee was there as well, I decided to leave them to him so I could come here and help you," Brittney "At least, I assumed you needed my help, since you weren't in Mewni when I got there."

"Well, we're kind of in a situation right here," Janna pointed at Eclipsa with her sword. "That woman over there is in the process of killing the Children of Globgor, who want to destroy Mewni. And despite me wanting to save Mewni, she wants to kill me too! Can you believe her?"

Brittney remained silent for a few moments, then tilted her head. "Come again?"

"Don't tell me your mind's all over the place too!" Janna rubbed her temples. "Anyway, will you help us or not?"

Brittney was about to answer, but she suddenly sensed Lekmet's worry in the distance. Her eyes turned yellow with heart-shaped dots, just like Lekmet's eyes, and she silently flew off to the horizon, leaving the team alone.

"What a jerk! Here we are, in need of help, and she just up and abandons us after we asked if she would help or not!" Chantelle whined. "I really hope the chief's not suffering from a relapse or something, I really don't want to deal with the personality she used to have!"

Sabrina glanced at Janna, who shook her head, and then she turned to Chantelle before saying:

"I don't think it's a relapse..."

 ** _Meanwhile, with the commission and Solaria..._**

Hekapoo shivered in a fetal position, taking several deep breaths as everybody else tried to discuss what to do next.

"Okay, something really bad has happened!" Rhombulus stated. "We need to get out of here, or else it could get exponentially worse!"

"Yeah, good idea, but um, what are you talking about?" Solaria asked. "I mean, you're talking as if I knew what that bad thing was about, but I have no clue what it is!"

"Let's just say, an old foe has returned," Omnitraxus said. "And if we do nothing, she'll destroy everything."

"She?" Solaria repeated, only to get an idea. "Wait, you don't mean-"

"Calm down, Solaria," Rhombulus said. "Yes, we mean it, but as long as everybody stays away from us before she arrives-"

"Hi Lekmet!"

The goat chairman turned around and saw Brittney landing on the ground. She retracted her wings as the chairman ran up to her and hugged her.

The chairman bleated, and Rhombulus translated: "What are you doing here?!"

"Well, do you want the long story or the short story?" Brittney asked. "Because quite a lot happened before I got here. And in such a short span of time, too."

"We want neither: All we want is for you to go somewhere safe!" Rhombulus stated as he walked up to Brittney, then started pushing her away. "Someone really bad is about to appear, who's going to do something really bad to all of us, and Lekmet will have a heart attack if anything happens to you!"

"Okay, alright, I get it, you don't want me here," Brittney rolled her eyes and folded her arms. "But can I at least know who's this "really bad someone" who'll do "something really bad" to you?"

Rhombulus stopped and pulled Brittney away before she was struck by an incoming laser, which made everybody else turn around and see the one who shot it was none other than Celena-Star.

"That would be me," Celena-Star smirked. "Sweetheart."

"Oh hi there!" Brittney cheerfully greeted. "I... guess you're one of the bad guys, aren't you?"

"Oh please, do you really think "good and evil" is a concept that can be applied to Great Magical Ones?" Celena-Star laughed. "We're all above such trivial, mortal concept, darling."

And then Celena-Star teleported to Brittney's side, startling everybody.

"You know, Lekmet, I have to give credit where credit's due," Celena-Star said before she caressed Brittney's hair. "Despite being quite beastly yourself, you managed to make a beautiful heir."

Lekmet released steam from his nostrils as Rhombulus aimed his crystal arm at the doll-like queen. "Leave Thanatos alone, Celena!"

"Oh, I will leave her alone," Celena-Star started playing with the girl's hair. "After I give her a quick rundown of how things are going to work from now on."

"Okay, but first, stop playing with my hair," Brittney slapped Celena-Star's hand away. "It's bothering me."

Celena-Star narrowed her eyes. "You know, kid, you're in no position to demand anything. I didn't want to be so blunt with who I am, but since you seem to be an absolute dumbass otherwise, let me tell you who I am."

Celena-Star surrounded herself in a purple aura as she proclaimed:

"I'm Celena Butterfly! She who overthrew the Magic High Commission, and brought true control, true freedom, to all of existence!"

Brittney blinked twice, but did nothing else as a reaction. Prompting Celena-Star to add:

"The Eternal High Queen of Mewni?"

Brittney blinked once, and did nothing else. Celena-Star dissipated the aura as she exasperatedly added:

"The Great Magical One of Order?"

Brittney didn't react at all this time. Which finally hit Celena-Star's nerves.

"Why aren't you reacting!?"

"Well, borrowing a line from my friend Janna, "I don't know who the hell you are," Brittney answered as she folded her arms and frowned. "Maybe if you gave me some more context as to why you're important and why should I care?"

"Hmm... weird, the children should shiver in fear when they hear my name-" Celena-Star gasped. "Hey you, Solaria! How long has it been since the Loveberrian Rebellion!?"

"Not long enough," the light-themed Butterfly sighed. "But if you want an actual answer, let's say around a thousand years."

"A thousand years, huh? Well, I guess anybody would forget about me in that much time," Celena-Star charged a purple magic sphere. "But don't worry, Thanatos, I'll give you a reminder on why you should fear me!"

Celena-Star shot the sphere at Brittney, who gasped and took a step back before Lekmet jumped in front of her, grabbed the sphere with his hands, and then slowly crushed it until it vanished from existence.

"Tsk, I knew you were going to jump to protect her, but the least you could've done was take the attack for her, don't you think?" the possessed body shook their head and frowned. "I mean, I'm nice enough to not stop any of you from attacking me, and yet you grab and destroy my attack before it destroys you-"

"Cristato!"

Suddenly, Celena-Star's hand was covered in a tough, crystalline shell, followed by two more "Cristatos" aimed at her other hand and lower body. The blasts, of course, came from Rhombulus, who shivered a little as he kept his crystal arm aimed at Celena-Star.

"You've already tormented this world, Celena!" Rhombulus exclaimed as he charged another blast. "We won't let you do the same to our godchildren."

"Ha! Hilarious as always, Rhombulus," Celena-Star chuckled before she nonchalantly broke the crystals encasing her body. "After all, you say I've tormented this world..."

Without warning, Celena-Star teleported in front of Rhombulus and flashed a smug smile as she said:

"But you and the rest of the commission aren't one to talk, are you?"

The sentient crystal was sent flying away with one kick from the possessed body, and as she went on to face Solaria, and the rest of the commission, Brittney sighed:

"Wherever the other guys are, I hope they're having a better time than me..."

 ** _Pixtopia Palace, Jackie's Room..._**

The teenager was thrown into the room by a bunch of pixie guards, with the Pixie Empress coming in soon afterwards. She looked particularly furious at the hybrid.

"You know, after having my long lost daughter return home after years of wondering what happened to her, I didn't think you'd be so audacious, young lady!" the empress snapped as the pixie guards left. "I mean, it's one thing to want to leave the empire after you just returned, but to leave it for Mewni?!"

"Mom, just hear me out for a moment, okay?!" Jackie replied while rubbing her head. "One of my friends... actually, maybe most of my friends are at Mewni, probably with their very lives in danger! I need to go there in order to help them!"

"No, you need to stay here, far away from whatever crazy shit's happening at Mewni, and enjoy the life you should've lived all along: That of a princess!" the empress snapped. "And don't you dare think you can look down on me!"

"Mom, I'm like a skyscraper compared to you!" Jackie replied. "I mean, heck, my leg's twice your height, for crying out loud!"

"By "Looking down on me," I meant thinking that you can decide whether to follow my rules or not," the empress folded her arms and flew up until she was face-to-face... well, body-to-face with her daughter. "You arrived again after being gone for so many years, and I'm not going to let you get away again!"

Jackie maintained a defiant glare. "What are you planning to do?"

The empress snapped her fingers, and magical cuffs came out of the bed and cuffed Jackie's hands and feet, before they dragged her into the bed, where they kept her suspended in an X-like position.

"I'm going to do that," the empress growled. "And you're going to stay right there until you calm down!"

"Oh come on, you can't be serious!" Jackie growled as she struggled to break free. "Listen, Mom, you don't understand-!"

"You're right, Jackie, I don't understand," the empress retorted as she narrowed her eyes. "I don't understand why you'd want to leave our beautiful home after just getting here. I don't understand what makes those friends of yours so important, that you need to risk your own life for them."

The empress glared at Jackie as she finished:

"But most of all, I don't understand why I'm the bad guy for trying to keep you safe!"

Jackie continued struggling against her restraints as the empress left the room, but not before coldly stating:

"You're going to stay here until you learn how to live like a princess."

The empress left, closed the door, and took a deep breath as a pixie guard flew up to her.

"Empress Oberon, you're needed at the main hall," the guard said, only to grow concerned when he saw the empress rubbing her temples. "Are you okay, your majesty?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," the empress answered. "I just gave a time-out to my long lost daughter after she tried to convince me to go to that wretched kingdom of Mewni. Believe me, I've been through far more stressful situations."

Oberon took a deep breath. "But oh well, let's not waste any time here. Guide me to the main hall."

"Yes, ma'am!"

The pixies left and, inside the room, Jackie continued struggling with all her might for a couple seconds until she became too exhausted and gave up.

"Great, as if being separated from my friends wasn't enough, I'm now stuck in another kingdom with a "mother figure" who's trapped me inside this room!" Jackie sighed. "Mrs. Diaz was so much better as a mother figure."

"Yeah, she can be quite overbearing at times."

Jackie looked around at the room in search for the source of the voice. "Who's there?!"

"Look up here."

The girl slowly looked up, and she was shocked when she saw a guy with blue skin and big, shining eyes at the ceiling. A guy that, to anybody on Earth, would be better known as Oskar Greason.

"Hello," he greeted with a smile. "Sister."

 ** _Meanwhile, back with the behemoths..._**

The Father-Daughter brawl between Globgor and Meteora continued, the former continually clashing against his daughter as she started using magic in the fight. She still used the barrier to block him, but now she also sent waves of energy at him, which he deflected, and spheres made of dark energy, which he took head-on.

As soon as the dust dissipated, Meteora charged some more spheres and shot them, with the behemoth sending them flying with a single punch. As the spheres started turning into a barrage, Meteora got an idea and charged her fists with the magic before pounding the ground, sending her flying high in the sky.

And as Globgor realized what she did, he looked up just in time for Meteora to slam her fists down Globgor's head, breaking some of his teeth and sending them flying away. She then kneed him hard enough to make him drop on the ground.

Meteora then jumped up and elbowed him... with a notable *crack* sound being heard afterward, startling the hybrid.

"What was that?!" Meteora asked. "Did I-"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure those were a couple of ribs," Globgor said, clutching his stomach and laughing. "I'm impressed, the only other person to ever break one of my ribs was your mother and... someone else, I won't mention."

Globgor took a deep breath. "But, whatever, you win, sweetie. I'll gather the Children so we can leave Mewni to its devices."

"Wait, what? That's it?" Meteora asked. "You're not going to fight anymore?"

"Why would I? My baby girl finally used both her monster form and some magic, that's something I've been wanting to see for years!" Globgor chuckled. "Even if Mewni isn't destroyed by our hands, there's always the chance that Sol will do it."

With that said, Globgor jumped away to gather the Children, leaving Meteora alone to think about what he said:

"If the Children don't destroy Mewni, Sol will?"

"Meteora!"

The hybrid looked down and saw Moon, still in her Butterfly form, running up to her.

"Oh hi, Moon!" the monstrous hybrid greeted. "Don't worry, I already took care of my Dad and-"

"That doesn't matter!" Moon exclaimed. "We have a much more pressing issue right now!"

"We do?" Meteora raised an eyebrow. "But I already defeated my Father, Mom's dealing with his army far away, the kingdom's being defended by Mrs. Diaz and River, and as far as I know Lekmet's keeping Hekapoo at bay. What other issue do we need to deal with?"

Moon took a deep breath. "A certain tyrant that went dormant for the last thousand years."

Meteora didn't take long to connect the dots. "Celena's back?! How?!"

"Star's body. She tricked her into separating her spirit from her body, giving her chance to snatch it," Moon explained somberly. "Now, she's close to Mewni, and who knows what she'll do once she's taken care of everybody else."

"If she takes care of everybody else," Meteora added. "She'll be fighting people from the Children to the commission, her victory's not guaranteed, right?!"

"I wish that was the case," Moon folded her arms and looked elsewhere. "But, we did prepare for this ocassion. The ultimate, most desperate measure to keep her at bay."

Moon turned back to Meteora. "Are you ready for this?"

The hybrid queen remained silent for a moment... then nodded, with a determined look.


	36. Attack on Mewni VIII

**And here we are, the grand finale of the "Attack on Mewni" saga! Hopefully the end doesn't piss off everybody who's been waiting for this climax XD**

 **Before we begin, let's just be perfectly clear: I didn't expect this chapter to wind up being a chapter and a half long in length. I wanted to keep short and simple, but then I realized some things needed to be dealt with, and then I realized I promised this would be the climax, so I had to clam everything together.**

 **I hope the chapter's good regardless. And if you're wondering where's Tom and Pony Head... just assume they wanted to help, but got other things to do, like, I don't know, manage a kingdom and find the rest of their family.**

 **And now, let's answer some reviews:**

 **1) Nobody245: Honestly, I haven't though about it, but the idea of the Earth team learning to control their powers sounds good enough. I might do just that, and have the arc just be 5 chapters long so I don't overwork myself. One for the Earth four and one for Star, just so we have some Celena thrown in there as well.**

 **And now, to the chapter!**

* * *

Back where we left off, Celena-Star dusted herself while Omnitraxus, Rhombulus, and Lekmet laid down on the ground, badly beaten and bruised. As for Solaria, Hekapoo, and Brittney, the last two were hiding somewhere, while the former stood between the doll-like queen and the rest of the commission.

"Well, would you look at that, the daughter of the sun's decided to play the hero, huh?" Celena-Star folded her arms. "I thought you were completely against the magic high commission, Solaria? You should be happy that I'm teaching them a lesson."

"The commission might have done a lot of terrible things, so many I could make an entire list, but you're on an entirely different level!" Solaria stated as she charged a couple of light magic spheres. "I know what you're trying to do, and I especially know the consequences of letting you succeed!"

"A world of perfect order, with no chaos, born from magic or otherwise, to corrupt or taint unknowing, innocent people?" Celena-Star guessed with a mocking tone. "Again, I don't see how any of this is reason to defy me."

Celena-Star narrowed her eyes. "Especially when I'm leagues above you and every queen to ever exist."

Solaria gritted her teeth and shot the spheres at Celena-Star, who rolled her eyes before she extended her palms forward, somehow absorbing the spheres into it. Then, as Solaria realized what she was doing, the doll-like queen shot a light beam at the solar Butterfly, who narrowly dodged it. And then the doll-like queen dashed at her, barely giving her time to react before she was punched right in the gut.

Meanwhile, while that happened, Hekapoo slowly made her way down the hill.

"Dammit, it was already hard to destroy Mewni when I separated everybody, now it's going to be impossible with Celena having returned! And in Beautyfly's body to boot!" Hekapoo quietly said to herself. "And I can't just ask the council for help to seal her again! They won't listen to a person who's trying to destroy their kingdom for seemingly no reason."

"But then again, do they think I'm doing this for no reason?" Hekapoo scratched her chin. "Every previous iteration of the council was a complete pain to deal with, because one way or another, they shared some of Celena's sheer unberable nature. But the current council, besides Eclipsa, are much more reasonable. Perhaps they'd be willing to hear me, as long as I make it clear I don't want to hurt them?"

And then, without warning, Hekapoo was struck by a white energy sphere, one that was shot by a nervous Brittney nearby. The redhead then turned to look at her with a curious look, all while the girl herself shivered to the core.

"Did Lekmet's goddaughter just attack me?" Hekapoo raised an eyebrow. "While I am impressed, I can't tell if it's because of how bold you are, or because of how dumb you are."

Brittney scratched the back of her head. "Well, I'm not exactly the sharpest tool in my school's shed, so-"

"Shut up, kid, and keep quiet," Hekapoo sternly ordered. "The instant the psychopath that took over Beautyfly hears us, we're as good as dead. Especially you."

"Well that's a rather morbid thing to say," Brittney remarked. "And what do you mean by she took over this "Beautyfly" you're talking about-"

Hekapoo grabbed Brittney by the neck of her uniform and pulled her forward before she hissed:

"Beautyfly" is the pet name I chose for Star Butterfly, and nobody else, nobody, is allowed to use it! Now, I'll let you off the hook this time, since you just found out about it, but if you ever use that pet name again, I'll get rid of you personally! Lekmet's feelings be damned, got it!?"

Brittney nervously nodded, and Hekapoo released before she sighed:

"Then again, by the end of this whole schtik, I probably won't be able to call her that anymore. Hell, I'd be lucky if she ever wants to see me again."

"Well, maybe you should've thought about that before you did any of this? Just an idea," Brittney shrugged. "And I'm going to ask again: Who's the one controlling Star?"

"Just the single biggest thorn in the commission's butt since the beginning of time, Celena," Hekapoo rubbed her temples. "Her name usually sends shivers down the spine of anybody unfortunate enough to have met her before, but since your and the other godchildren's previous life were erased-"

However, when Hekapoo turned to see Brittney, she was shocked to see the goat-like girl clutching her chest and shivering, while looking like she was about to cry at any minute.

"Wait, you reacted to Celena's name?!" Hekapoo asked, with Brittney's ensuing flinching confirming her suspicions. "But that should be impossible! We erased all of your memories pertaining to what Celena did to you! Her name being mentioned should leave you confused at best!"

"Well, I guess this answer is involuntary, of sorts?" Brittney answered. "I just felt terrified when you said that name, but I don't know, is it really that bad?"

"Kid, let me be blunt with you, for your own good," Hekapoo put a hand in Brittney's shoulder. "If I were to kill you, I'd just cut your head off, or burn you alive, or whatever, but I'd be straight to the point and just do it."

"That won't make it harder for me to sleep tonight," Brittney rolled her eyes.

"However, if Celena were to kill you, she'd torture you, she'd break you, she'd do the most horrible things to you, in public, just to make a point!" Hekapoo added. "So, you see, you and the rest of the godchildren must be as far away from her as possible, got it?!"

"The rest of the godchildren... you mean Jackie, Janna, and Marco?" Brittney asked, earning a nod from Hekapoo once she said Marco's name. "Well, I could tell them about it, but I don't know if they'll hear me out."

"Alright, let's do this: Just so you don't have too much to deal with, I'll go tell Sol to stay as far away as possible, and you go tell Andromeda and Alcatraz," Hekapoo said as she folded her arms. "Is that okay with you?"

"Did you even hear what I said?" Brittney narrowed her eyes. "I'm not sure if they'll hear me out: They can be very stubborn when they have a goal in mind, and right now, they definitely have a goal."

"Tell them they're dead meat if they don't stop what they're doing and get the hell out of here," Hekapoo stated as she opened a portal with her arms. "Anyway, I gotta go find Sol. Good luck, Thanatos!"

Hekapoo jumped through the portal, and it blinked out of existence as Brittney rubbed her forehead and shook her head, before she spread her wings and flew towards Janna and the rest of the children.

 ** _Speaking of them..._**

Janna, Chantelle, and Sabrina continued their fight against Higgs, while the rest of their team continued the fight against Tad, Kelly, and Jorby, with both sides being evenly matched in both brawls. An evenly nature that continued as Higgs and Janna clashed swords.

"You know, I didn't think anybody but the royal family would be able to hold the Blood Moon Sword without being corrupted by it," Higgs said, eyeing Janna's sword. "But, since you don't look exactly human, I'm assuming you had to give up your humanity in order to be able to use it, didn't you?"

"Well, the story's a little bit more complicated than that," Janna smirked. "But if you insist, then I'll tell you this..."

Janna gripped the sword tighter and swung it harder, shattering Higgs' sword into pieces. And just as the redhead realized what this meant, Janna got ready to pummel the sword down on Higgs as she stated:

"That's none of your business!"

Higgs jumped away before the sword hit, with the resulting impact being done with enough force to send the squire flying off into Chantelle and Sabrina, who proceeded to team up on her before they sent her crashing on the ground.

"Ugh, that one actually hurt," Higgs said as she stood up with the help of her sword. "But, I would bring shame to the Mewman race if that was all it took to bring me down!"

"Can you really bring shame to a species whose reputation has been ruined across the centuries?" Sabrina asked as her gauntlets turned back into Alfonzo. "Anyway, you're clearly outmatched, so there's no point in fighting you anymore."

"What?! Are you serious?!" Higgs complained as Chantelle's boots turned back into Ferguson. "You barely got a few hits in!"

"Yeah, and those few hits were more than enough," Sabrina sternly stated. "And before you ask how we know it was enough, well, we got better things to worry about than a Mewman who thinks she's hot stuff."

Higgs gritted her teeth. "Why you little-"

Suddenly, a massive shadow loomed over Higgs, and as soon as the girl turned up, she saw it was none other than Globgor, flashing a seemingly angry glare at her. This was enough to convince Higgs to run away, probably to ask Kelly for help.

"Girls, are you alright?" Globgor asked as he turned his attention to the trio.

"We are, but what about you?" Janna asked as she walked towards the behemoth. "What happened with the hybrid monster woman?"

"We fought, and I had the advantage for a while, but as soon as she started using magic, it became clear that if I kept fighting, I'd die," Globgor stated. "Anyway, I've managed to leave before she could follow, and now, I believe we need to leave right now."

"Oh, so you were leaving?"

The team turned around and saw Brittney flying towards them, sporting a relieved look. "Phew, thank goodness, I was a little worried that you wouldn't want to leave."

"Okay, so first you sent the Septarians to Mewni, then you went up to help Lekmet with whatever was going on, and now you came back from that, wanting us to leave?" Janna recapped. "Okay Brittney, spill the beans: What's up with this sudden change in goal?"

"Remember the lady that separated us from Jackie and Marco?" Brittney asked, getting a nod from Janna. "Well, she asked me to come tell you and Jackie to leave as fast as we could, while she went to find Marco."

"And you decided to go along with her plan?!" Janna snapped, stomping the ground. "She separated us and kickstarted this whole damn thing, and now you're going to trust her all of a sudden!?"

Brittney twiddled her fingers as Globgor looked over at the horizon. "Well, I don't exactly trust her, but if there's something she, one of the strongest beings in existence, is afraid of, don't you think if she says we should stay from it, we should?"

"I think Brittney has a point," Globgor stated as he narrowed his eyes. "I can sense an energy that I haven't seen in a long time. An energy that belongs to the first being to ever bring fear to the Magic High Commission."

"They made the strongest magical beings in the universe afraid? Well, they certainly sound like a big deal," Alfonzo remarked. "Do you know what they're called?"

Globgor turned to the team and sighed:

"Celena."

 ** _Meanwhile, at Mewni..._**

The septarian warriors and Toffee collectively felt a chill go down their spine, with River quickly getting an idea as to why.

"She's close," the king said. "All she has to do is fly over here, and it's all over."

"Well, whether she comes or not, I'm not staying to find out," Toffee stated. "Septarians, head back to Septarsis. I'll go look for Rasticore so he can open a portal back to Earth."

The septarians stood still for a moment, seemingly dumbfounded, until one of them spoke:

"Well, Thanatos told us to come here, and now you're telling us to leave. What are we supposed to-"

Toffee rolled his eyes. "If you stay here, you could end up fighting the High Tyrant herself."

The septarians immediately ran away, followed by Toffee running to meet with the rest of the Children of Globgor, leaving River, Rafael, and Angie behind, who promptly reunited. The latter two looked like they barely had a scratch on.

"So, I'm guessing you two stopped fighting after a while, right?" River guessed as he folded his arms. "You two love each other, so as the fight dragged on, you lost the will to fight, right?"

"That's pathetic, if you ask me."

The trio turned around and saw none other than a stern Eclipsa approaching them.

"A warrior race like Mewmanity evolved in order to not let such feeble things like love get in the way of accomplishing a goal: Otherwise, we'd end up wiped out pretty quickly," the woman stated. "While I can forgive both of your hesitation, the guy 'cause he's a human and Febe 'cause she was raised by maginuchs, I'm still disappointed that the problem persists."

"Thanks for that unnecessary lesson, Eclipsa," Mrs. Diaz replied, folding her arms before she raised an eyebrow. "Anyway, weren't you going to deal with the Children of Globgor?"

"I was, then a demon princess or whatever appeared, and then Mewman reinforcements arrived, so I decided to let the reinforcements deal with the children themselves," Eclipsa folded her arms. "Anyway, since it looks like the destruction of Mewni has "stopped" or whatever, I'm guessing there's a more pressing matter right now?"

"We're afraid so."

The team turned around again, and this time they saw Meteora and Moon approaching them, the former now back to her smaller, humanoid form.

"Oh, Your Majesties, you're back!" Mrs. Diaz said with a tone of relief. "So, how did your fight against Globgor go, Meteora?"

"Her what with who!?" Eclipsa exclaimed.

"You probably should've said that with a bit more tact, Mrs. Diaz," Meteora sighed. "I managed to drive him away, at least. But it wasn't easy."

"And now, we need your help in dealing with another problem," Moon told the redheaded woman. "And I'm afraid we won't take no for an answer."

"Haha! Spoken like a true Mewman, Moon!" Eclipsa folded her arms and chuckled. "Looks like you got your work cut out for you, Febe!"

"We need your help too, Eclipsa," Moon bluntly stated with an exasperated tone. "It's something that needs all four members of the council, and since Star's not available, Mrs. Diaz will take her place-"

"Okay, it was one thing to agree to help Febe with her weird, stupid plan," Eclipsa folded her arms and raised an eyebrow sternly. "Now you expect me to work with her again?! Even I have a limit on how much bullshit I'm willing to swallow."

"To be fair, everybody has a limit like that," Meteora replied. "And besides, Mom, there's no other way to seal Celena!"

Eclipsa's eyes widened. "Celena? She's back?!"

"Don't get so excited; She's back, but she's a tad bit unstable, unhinged even," Moon stated. "In her current state, letting her roam free is not an option."

"Hey, it's not my fault that your girlfriend decided to shove a sword up her eye!" Eclipsa growled in return, causing Moon to be surrounded by a red aura as her eyes glew red. "And besides, how do you expect us to seal her?"

"We're going to use "that," Meteora answered.

Eclipsa took a step back in disbelief. "You mean... "that?!"

Moon calmed down and nodded. "Using "that" is the only way we'll be able to win."

"But you know the consequences of using "that!" Eclipsa stated. "Are you sure we have no other choice but to use "that?!"

"What the hell is "that!?" Mrs. Diaz snapped, stomping the ground. "I understand if you need it to be a secret or something, but couldn't you at least give me an idea of what you're talking about?!"

"Hmm... we do need her help in order for this to work," Moon scratched her chin. "You see, Mrs. Diaz, there council of queens serves many functions. Some of them are related to Celena."

"And one of those functions is to act as a secondary seal to keep her from returning to the physical world," Eclipsa somberly added. "Essentially, our very bodies are used as chains to keep her on the spiritual realm."

"And, judging by the shield she made with her, the heart and clubs fragment are the only ones who were broken," Moon said. "Which means that both Mrs. Diaz and Meteora-"

"No."

The queens turned around and saw Eclipsa with her arms folded.

"No?" Mrs. Diaz asked. "What do you mean no?"

"I understand what Moon's trying to say, and I absolutely refuse to go along with this plan!" Eclipsa stated, clenching her fists. "I mean, I have no problem with you turning into a living handcuff, Febe-"

Mrs. Diaz rolled her eyes. "Why am I not surprised?"

"But to have my Meteora turn into a living handcuff as well?!" Eclipsa shook her head. "That's something I'll never allow to happen!"

"So you'd rather have a potential threat to Mewni roam free?" Mrs. Diaz asked. "Listen, while I'm not sure if this is the first time I've heard about this Celena woman or not, from what Moon and Meteora said, she doesn't sound like somebody that we can reason with. And if you can't reason with someone, the only other option is to fight them or seal them away."

Eclipsa threw a furious look at Mrs. Diaz as Meteora added, "And since this is Celena we're talking about, fighting her is out of the question."

Eclipsa turned to her daughter with a shocked look, and seeing the lack of options, she clenched her fists and stomped the ground, saying:

"Fine, I get it! But how are we going to get her to stay still?"

Somebody coughed, and the women turned around to see the one who coughed was River, who gave them a thumbs up as he stated:

"Leave that to me!"

A pregnant silence later, Eclipsa rubbed her forehead. "We're screwed."

 ** _Meanwhile, in Jackie's Pixie Room..._**

The girl took a couple seconds to process exactly what was going on.

"Wait, sister?" Jackie repeated as the boy known as Oskar Greason came down. "Did you just call me sister?"

"Of course I did, sister," Oskar said as he reached for his back. "We're family after all."

"Okay, so not only am I the daughter of a pixie, I also have a pixie brother," Jackie recapped. "Got it, I'll be sure to add that to my "Weird things that I found out today" list."

The boy took out a knife, and promptly cut off the chains keeping Jackie in place. "There you go, now you're free."

"Well, from the chains, yeah," Jackie said as she rubbed her wrists. "But I'm still stuck inside this palace, and I'm willing to bet that as soon as I set a foot outside this place, a bunch of guards are going to pop up and put me back in here. And they're probably going to find you too."

"Ha! As if!" Oskar chuckled. "I've been hiding for several years, I'm not going to let myself be captured like it was nothing!"

Jackie turned to look at Oskar with a neutral look, which got his attention. "Is something wrong?"

"Is something right? I don't even know anymore," Jackie took a deep breath. "Look, I have about a dozen questions to ask right now, but since we don't have time, I'll only ask three: Who are you, why did you free me, and is this a trap?"

"I'm Oskar Greason, prince of the Pixie Empire and by proxy, your brother. I freed you because I don't want you to discover what the pixie heritage entails for a girl," Oskar scratched his chin. "And sorry to answer a question with another question, but assuming this was a trap, why would I tell you it was such?"

"Hmm... I see your point..." Jackie thought about what the boy said, then put her hand on her hips. "Okay, no more questions. If you really say you can get me out of here, then do it."

Oskar smiled. "I'm glad you're reasonable-"

Jackie narrowed her eyes. "And take me to Mewni."

The boy flinched and took a step back, but one look at the girl's narrowed eyes made it clear she was serious. So he folded his arms and stated:

"As you wish."

 ** _And then, with Sol/Marco and Star..._**

The empowered boy continued flying towards Mewni, with what looked like a pure energy manifestation of Star's form flying beside him.

"Star, what's up with that form?" Marco asked, getting the spirit's attention. "I thought your spirit was inside me?"

"It is, what you're seeing's just a clone of that same spirit, thanks to multiplication," the spirit explained with a smile. "It's a technique I learned from Hekapoo. Cool, right?"

Speak of the devil and she doth appear, for a portal opened in the middle of the road, forcing the boy to stop and the spirit to vanish as Hekapoo came out of the portal soon after. And from there, the pair noticed each other instantly.

"Sol..." Hekapoo said with a tone of relief.

"You..." Marco said with a stern tone, and with both Star and Marco's voices.

"Wait, did I hear Star's voice in there?" Hekapoo asked with slight surprise. "Star, are you inside Sol?"

Star's spirit materialized right next to Marco, sporting a stern look directed towards the redhead. "Yes, I'm here."

"Huh, I guess there weren't many options around after Celena took your body," Hekapoo took a deep breath and folded her arms. "Look, I know you're angry with me-"

"Angry!? I'm furious!" Star snapped, clenching her shivering fists. "You separated Marco from his friends, you sent him off to cause mayhem at Meteora's reformatory, and as if that wasn't enough, you also conspired with Globgor to try destroy Mewni! At least, that's the most I understand from your nonsensical plan!"

Hekapoo looked elsewhere and sheepishly smiled. "Yeah, I guess the plan could've been thought up a little bit better-"

"But you know what bothers me the most?" Star added, her tone changing from outraged to saddened in an instant. "The fact that, I've been thinking I was a Mewman all along... and it turns out, I'm nothing more than a thing for Celena's plan."

"...So, you found out your origin?" Hekapoo frowned. "Let me guess, Celena told you?"

Star nodded, then sternly turned back to Hekapoo. "Did you knew?"

Hekapoo took a deep breath. "Star... everybody knew. Me, the rest of the commission, your parents, your people, everybody-"

"And when the hell were you planning to tell me!?" Star snapped, holding back tears.

"Never!" Hekapoo snapped in return.

Marco's eyes widened and Star flew slightly back as Hekapoo elaborated:

"We never planned to tell you about your origin because, at first, we didn't know anything. Celena told us all about it once you were already made, and by that point, she had already decided that you would serve as Solaria's replacement. Not only that, but the Loveberrian Rebellion happened soon after, and with Celena gone, we decided to put all our efforts into making sure that she would never return again. And, I hate to say it, but there wasn't any way we could predict what you'd do if you discovered what your real purpose was."

Star lowered her head and clenched her fists, which shook a Marco patted her back.

"I think that's enough harsh truths for you, Star," Marco flew in front of the spirit. "Now's my turn to get a harsh truth: Celena ripped off my heart and crushed it right in front of my face, but I didn't die right away. Do you have something to do with that?"

"Besides giving you some supernatural powers, we also blessed you with a connection to our very lifes, or at least I did," Hekapoo explained. "In other words, as long as I live, you won't die right away when you suffer fatal injuries. You will die after a while, however, if that isn't treated."

"Sorry if this isn't what you'd like to hear, but that only makes me more confused about several things," Marco folded his arms. "But anyway, we're wasting time here, Star."

Star nodded and opened a portal, which the guy tried to go through before Hekapoo closed it with a snap of her fingers. This earned her an angry look from the duo, and she replied:

"I'm sorry, but I'm not letting you get to Mewni. There's already too much at stake, I'm not going to risk my godchild too!"

Marco folded his arms and shook his head. "Good lord, what a headache."

And then the pair of Star and Marco noticed something in the distance and flew away to see it, prompting Hekapoo to do the same. What she saw was a large heart-shaped explosion in the distance, one that she recognized as something that could only be made by Celena.

"You see that, Sol? That's the power you'll face if you keep heading to Mewni," Hekapoo stated somberly. "And that's the reason why I can't-"

However, when she turned around, Hekapoo got a nasty surprise: Star and Marco had already left.

"Of course, I take my eyes off those two for one second, and next thing I know, they go head and teleport to Mewni!" Hekapoo facepalmed. "Why did I think them seeing the power of Celena would convince them not to go there?!"

The interdimensional redhead created a portal with her arms and jumped through it, presumably heading directly to the fight with Celena.

 ** _Speaking of Celena..._**

From within the heart cloud walked out Celena-Star, who walked calmly towards a heavily injured Solaria, who returned to her base form as soon as the possessed body reached her.

"We both knew this was the only possible outcome of you facing against me," Celena-Star grabbed Solaria's throat and lifted her. "You lost over a thousand years ago during your foolish little rebellion, and you've lost to me again. Nothing's changed."

"You... won't... succeed..." Solaria weakly spat.

Celena-Star paused for a moment, then shrugged. "I guess my line's supposed to be "But I already have," right? However, I'm afraid you're correct: I won't succeed by beating you up. It's a decent stress reliever, but that's besides the point."

Celena-Star dropped Solaria and stretched as she elaborated:

"Only when I have killed the Great Magical Godchildren, overthrown the Magic High Commission for their atrocities, destroyed the last remaining fragments sealing my powers, and maybe exterminate all monster races this time for sure, can I really succeed in my real goal: Reclaim my title as High Queen of Mewni, and bring order to all of existence."

"So, that's your plan?"

The possessed queen turned around and saw Marco standing nearby, arms folded behind his back and with a stern look.

"You know, I'm not one to talk about goals or anything like that," the boy narrowed his eyes. "But I was expecting something a little bit less, I don't know, generic?"

Celena-Star put her hands on her hips. "You again, huh? I guess I shouldn't be surprised, your "godmother" is an utter pain to destroy, you'd obviously be just as hard to get rid of."

And then the possessed queen started thinking about it. "Although, now that I think about it, since you have an actual physical body, and a weak physical body at that, then you should be easier to kill by default. But the link you and Hekapoo share would also-"

"She's going to be at it for a while, isn't she?" Marco asked, and Star couldn't help but nod. "Well, let's try to get her attention."

Marco raised his hand, generated a sphere of solar magic, then shot it at the kingdom of Mewni. Naturally, this caught Celena-Star's attention, and made her get in the way of the solar sphere, which she slowly evaporated until she crushed it in her hands.

While she was busy, Marco flew past her and headed straight for Mewni while charging another

 ** _Then, at Mewni..._**

Rafael watched Globgor gesturing him to come, while he and the rest of the Children were leaving through a portal, including the cheerleaders. However, as soon as he took a step, the man hesitated and turned around to see Angie walking up to him, while Meteora, Eclipsa, and Moon worked with River to draw a star on the gronud.

"I'm going to be fine, Rafael," Mrs. Diaz told her husband as she patted his back. "With the help of the rest of the council, we'll seal away this Celena woman. And, just in case something goes wrong, neither you or the rest of the Children must stay here-"

The man turned around, crouched down, and hugged his wife before he stated, "Please, be careful."

Angie smiled and patted her husband's back again. "I will, you big worrywart."

Rafael and Angie separated, and the man leaped straight into the portal while the woman joined the rest of the council. "Okay, what do I do?"

"You need to channel your magical power, like we're doing, and focus it on the shape drawn on the ground," Moon hastily explained. "And you have to stay focused, Celena could come here any second now-"

Speak of the devil, and she'll come out of the sky fighting against Marco before crashing into the ground.

Sure, that's not how the saying goes, but it fits anyway.

Celena-Star promptly kicked the guy away before she shot some magic blasts at him, which the guy dodged before he shot some solar spheres in return. Celena-Star, however, just held her hand forward, clenched it, and converted the solar spheres into magic spheres that she shot at the guy soon after.

And for every sphere Marco dodged, the more damage was done to the kingdom of Mewni.

Then, without warning, Brittney and Janna leaped out and joined the battlefield... for all of two seconds before Celena-Star blocked their attacks with her hands and threw them straight at Marco, who caught them.

"Girls, you're still here?!" he said as he gently put them on the ground. "I thought you would've left along with the rest of the Children of Globgor!"

"And leave you behind? Not a chance!" Janna stated, with Brittney nodding in agreement. "Especially when we didn't come here alone!"

Janna whistled, and the bloody mewman army from before appeared and rushed towards Celena-Star, getting a couple of irrelevant hits in before she lifted them by raising her hand, and then threw them so hard over the horizon, they turned into a twinkle in the sky.

And in the middle of the trio's shock at what just happened, Celena-Star aimed her hand straight at Janna and snapped her fingers, causing the blood moon sword to escape Janna's grasp and fly right into Celena-Star's hand.

"So, one of the godchildren actually holds possession of the blood moon sword? That explains why the bloody mewmen were here at all," "Now, Alcatraz, was it? Where did you get this sword?"

"My name's Janna!" the demonic girl snapped, stomping the ground. "And where I got that thing's none of your business! Now give it back!"

"Hmph, not willing to spill the beans, huh?" Celena-Star looked at the sword's blade, and smiled at seeing her own reflection. "No matter, the sword's previous location is unimportant, what matters is that it's back in my possession once more."

Celena-Star saved the blood moon sword on a scabbard she materialized on her hip.

"Now then, Sol, Alcatraz, and Thanatos..." Celena-Star narrowed her eyes. "Where the hell's Andromeda?"

"Is she talking about Jackie?" Brittney asked. "Now that I think about it, I haven't seen Jackie anywhere around here. Maybe she was taken to another dimension?"

Speaking of dimensions, a portal opened right above Celena-Star, and from there came out Jackie and Oskar, the former landing on the possessed body's head, and the latter kicked her back a little.

"Jackie!" the trio chirped.

"Sorry for coming out of nowhere, but I needed to get a hang on my space-time powers, because of course I have those now," Jackie took a deep breath. "And I'm pretty sure this is the point where trying to make sense out of anything will only melt my brain. Anyway, what did I miss?"

Marco rolled his eyes. "What didn't you miss?"

Suddenly, an intense pink aura enveloped the entire area as the team turned around and saw Celena-Star, surrounded by a hot pink aura, and with glowing red eyes.

"Alright, it looks like the entire squad is here!" she said. "And you even brought the exiled son of the pixie empress, as well! Saves me the trouble to hunt him down!"

"Exiled? I left on my own terms!" Oskar stated. "And don't ever call me anything like that again: I'm cutting all ties with the pixies!"

"Your ties with them doesn't matter to me, you're nothing more than a bargaining chip," Celena-Star raised her hands and charged some magic spheres. "Now, Great Magical Godchildren, it's time to-!"

Just then, however, chains sprouted from Celena-Star's position and cuffede her hands, with the possessor only realizing what happened when she tried to shoot the spheres, but couldn't move her arms.

"Wait a minute..." Celena-Star said as she struggled to break the chains. "What's going on?!"

She then turned around and saw Meteora, Febe, Moon, and a hesitant Eclipsa aiming their palms at her while their cheekmarks glew. Then she looked down, and saw she was standing on the star, which was glowing yellow.

"What are you doing!?" Celena-Star snapped as she struggled even harder. "You should be banding together against the godchildren! They're your enemy, not me!"

"You're right, Celena: You're not our enemy. You're everybody's enemy," Moon sternly stated. "You're a danger to all of existence in your current state, so we can't let you stay here. You must go back to the spiritual realm!"

As Moon said that, a couple chains came out of the ground and cuffed Celena-Star's legs, which then forced her to fall down to her knees.

"You can't do this to me! I'm the High Queen!" Celena-Star hissed. "Mewni can't stand without me! Mewmanity can't survive without my leadership! If I'm not here, this whole kingdom, all the effort that was put into it, will crash and burn!"

"It was pretty much on it's way there long before you left the picture, Celena," Meteora stated as she narrowed her eyes. "Besides, you probably would make things even worse without realizing it."

"Silence, Meteora! You say I would bring Mewni to its destruction, but the one who nearly destroyed hundreds of years ago was you!" Celena-Star snapped at the hybrid queen. "And the rest of you, release me this instant, or else-"

However, as soon as Celena-Star tried to charge some magic spheres, her magic fritzled out and vanished from existence. "Wait, what?"

Celena-Star tried again, but got the same results. "W-Wait, why can't I create magic spheres?"

River smiled, which immediately got on Celena-Star's nerves. "What the hell did you do!?"

"Well, let's just say that I placed a little "weakness" to the body you're possessing now, Celena," River stated. "You see, in order for the body use magic, it needs to channel the energy of its inner reserves, rather than the magic of the user. The more energy spent, the weaker the magic becomes, and it slowly refills overtime... unless constant use is taken, or the magic performed is too powerful."

Celena-Star raised an eyebrow, prompting River to state:

"Simply put, this body has a finite source of magic, rather than an infinite one. And you just drained all of it."

The possessed queen tried to rush after River, but an invisible field stopped her right in place, with the field soon revealing itself to be a barrier of magic being raised by the council.

"Eclipsa, what do you think you're doing?!" Celena-Star asked the Queen of Spades. "I mean, I understand Meteora, Febe, heck even Moon doing this to me, but why would you go along with this plan?!"

"I'm not going along with it cause I want to, Mom!" Eclipsa answered in return, trying to keep her composure. "I'm doing this because it's for the best, for both you and Mewni!"

"Eclipsa, don't pay attention to her!" Moon exclaimed. "She's just trying to get in your head!"

The barrier started closing in on Celena-Star as she desperately pleaded, while looking straight at Eclipsa:

"Please, Eclipsa, don't do this! You know how much needed in this kingdom!"

Eclipsa shivered, but continued playing her part in the spell.

"The council, Mewmanity, everything will fall into chaos without someone to bring order to them! And I'm the only one who can bring that order!"

Eclipsa took several deep breaths as her will weakened, which Celena-Star tried to shatter with one last question:

"Don't you wanna be a family again?"

Eclipsa paused and her part of the spell weakened, but she quickly closed her eyes and resumed her part, fully trapping Celena-Star inside as she whimpered:

"Honey?"

Fully trapped, Celena-Star desperately tried to break the barrier as the council stated in unison:

"Emotion Supernova!"

A blinding light struck from inside the barrier, with Celena-Star screaming in pain as she was cleansed from the body, returning it back to its motionless state. Soon after, the queens lowered their arms and took a deep breath... except for Eclipsa, who put her hands on her face and started whimpering.

"Eclipsa, are you..." Mrs. Diaz frowned, noticing the queen's cries. "Are you crying?"

The Queen of Spades faced Mrs. Diaz with an utterly depressed look before she weakly answered:

"No, I... I just... need some time alone..."

With that said, Eclipsa ran away, with Meteora following her as the barrier dissipated, revealing Star's motionless body laying on the ground as its clothes and look changed to match its previous form.

"And that's the end of Celena for now," Marco folded his arms. "You can go back to your body now, Star."

"Your chest wound healed, right?" Star asked with a concerned tone. "I don't want to rush back into my body only for you to die right afterwards."

"Everything was healed when you got inside my body, Star," Marco answered with a little smile. "You have nothing to worry about anymore, now go back to your body."

Star smiled, nodded, and flew straight into her body, whose black eyes turned back to Star's normal blue eyes as she revived. She then stood up and grabbed her head, almost falling on the floor when Moon and River helped her.

"Star!" Moon chirped. "Oh, sweetheart, we're so happy you're back."

"And I'm happy to be back too," Star replied with a weak smile. "I'm just... a little lightheaded, for some reason."

"Your body's all out of magic," River explained. "You should rest for a while."

"Yeah... I should..." Star said as she took several deep breaths. "Especially considering what my body's been through today."

Then, Star reached for her back and took out the blood moon sword. "But first, I think I need to hand this back to the demon girl."

Star, with the help of her parents, walked up to Janna and presented the blood moon sword to her. "I believe this belongs to you."

"Thanks," Janna reached for the sword, then stopped and scratched her chin. "Tell me, do you feel weird holding that thing?"

Star raised an eyerow. "What do you mean?"

"Tom told me that those who didn't have demon blood or something wouldn't be able to grab the sword," Janna explained. "I had to turn into a demonic-ish entity just to be able to hold it, but you don't seem to have any problem with it."

"Well, I don't feel any different, but what does that matter?" Star leaned the sword closer to Janna's grip. "You got it first, so take it."

Janna grabbed the sword, then remarked, "Alright then, but I still find that a little bit weird."

"Well, don't pay attention to it right now," Star remarked. "Just look at the bright side: Celena's been stopped for now."

"Which is no small feat."

Everybody turned around to see Hekapoo coming out of a portal nearby, and smiling as she was greeted by glares from everybody.

"I gotta say, I'm impressed and proud of you council: You actually managed to succeed in your second purpose of keeping Celena at bay. Good work," Hekapoo clapped twice. "Now you can continue with the destruction of Mewni, Sol."

"Still talking about that stuff, huh?" Janna got ready to swing her sword at the redhead. "Maybe a little hit or two from this thing will set you straight."

"Don't even bother, Alcatraz, the sword would just melt before it even hit me," Hekapoo replied. "And besides, fate itself made it so that Sol would destroy Mewni no matter what. Or are you implying that Sol actually _has_ the option not to fulfill his destiny?"

Marco folded his arms and nodded. "That's right!"

Hekapoo raised an eyebrow. "Come again?"

"I'm not going to destroy Mewni, Hekapoo," Marco bluntly stated. "I've fought with Star, survived turning into a monster, and at least tried to help stop that Celena woman from destroying everything. After all of that stuff, destroying Mewni would make everything we've been through pointless!"

"So, let me get this straight, Sol," Hekapoo folded her arms. "You've grown attached to the Mewman who just so happens to be the very puppet that Celena was going to use to resurrect, and to try avoid a war or something, you don't want to destroy Mewni like you were destined to do?"

"Yeah, that's it," Marco folded his arms. "Just because someone said I was destined to do it doesn't mean I have no choice but to do it. And besides, I'm not Sol, the Sun of Destruction and child of Febe Butterfly, anymore."

Marco smiled. "I'm Marco Diaz, son of Angie Diaz."

Mrs. Diaz smiled nearby and nodded in agreement, alongside the rest of the council. However, what happened next caught them off-guard: Instead of being angry or upset, Hekapoo was... giggling?

"Looks like the test was a success after all," she said with a smile. "Congratulations, Sol."

Marco blinked twice. "What are you talking about?"

"Sol, did you never once wonder about what was the purpose of the Great Magical Godchildren?" Hekapoo asked. "Did you never found it odd that entities as ancient and as powerful as the Magic High Commission, saw the necessity to bless human children with part of our essence?"

"Seeing how everything that just happened did so at the speed of light, no, I never got the chance to think about it," Marco raised an eyebrow. "But now that you mention it, why did you and the commission make us?"

Hekapoo took a deep breath:

"To test whether there really was someone who could defy fate."

The Butterflies flinched and took a step back in shock... while the godchilden raised an eyebrow in confusion as Hekapoo explained:

"For millions of years, ever since we were created, we were under the belief that every single living thing was subject to the mysterious power known as fate. A power that used to be the domain of our "Father," Glossaryck. At first, we were the enforcers of fate. Then, we were _victims_ of it. And eventually, a question popped up in our heads: Is fate truly inescapable? Is there really no way to defy the expectations beings beyond our understanding?"

"Is she talking about the commission or other beings?" Jackie whispered to Marco, who could only shrug in response.

"Then, we realized something: Many magically-inclined creatures were susceptible to fate... but there was one species that seemed immune to it: Humanity," Hekapoo continued. "While creatures with a connection to magic always fell victim to fate, humanity seemed to overcome fate without much issue. The Mewmans thought humanity would be exterminated when their world got monsters introduced, and they adapted."

Hekapoo faced Mrs. Diaz. "A woman's son was about to die of the same condition as her first child, but she didn't sit quietly and take it, she got Globgor's help."

Marco gritted his teeth angrily as Hekapoo turned to look at him. "And now, the very child that was destined to destroy Mewni doesn't want to do it, and is outright refusing to do it, with nothing being done to change his mind."

Marco calmed down a bit and said "Hekapoo..." in a surprised tone.

"However..."

Hekapoo lifted a finger and charged a tiny solar sphere.

"Mewni still has to be destroyed one way or another."

Everybody flinched and took a step back, immediately remembering why they hated Hekapoo so much.

"Hekapoo, wait, you don't have to do this!" Star exclaimed, trying to get the redhead to listen to her. "Sure, Mewni empowers Celena, but it's also the home of Mewmanity! If you destroy it, you'll leave an entire species homeless, and you'll be a wanted criminal regardless of your magical status! Can't you reconsider your actions based on that?!"

Hekapoo took a deep breath and said:

"Star, let me ask you a question: How many of the words you just said were said by you, and how many were said by Celena's will inside you, trying to trick me into sparing the city that empowers her?"

Star flinched, and unable to think of an answer, she and everybody else were forced to flee as Hekapoo slowly let the solar sphere fall to the ground. And as this happened, the rest of the commission and Solaria stood up from the ground.

"Ugh, my head," Rhombulus said as he stood up. "What happened? Where's Hekapoo?"

A massive explosion happened in the distance, right where the kingdom of Mewni was located, which made Lekmet bleat in shock, and Rhombulus translated:

"Yeah, Lekmet, I think Hekapoo's there."

Back with the team, they stood up and dusted themselves as they watched over at the mushroom cloud in the distance where Mewni used to be.

"So, after everything we tried, Mewni wound up being destroyed anyway," Janna said, folding her arms in exasperation. "If she could just do that the entire time, why didn't she just do it and be over with it? Why drag everybody else into this nonsense!?"

"You heard her: She did it to prove a point," Marco said. "Once that was done, and I refused to destroy Mewni, she probably saw no reason to hold back."

"Well, I guess that's all she wrote then," Oskar remarked. "I gotta go, I don't want to stay here just in case she didn't leave after the explosion happened."

"Alright then, we should probably leave as soon as we can too," Jackie spoke. "And also, thanks for freeing me at the empire. Just to know, will I ever see you again?"

"We most certainly will meet again," Oskar folded his arms with a concerned look. "What you should really ask, and worry about, is whether we'll see each other again as friends... or as enemies."

Jackie raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Oskar lowered his head. "You'll see."

The pixie boy sprouted wings and flew away, prompting an impressed Janna to ask, "Can you do that?"

"I don't know, and I don't care, I've had just enough weirdness for today," Jackie sternly replied. "Anyway, what should we do now?"

"We rest a bit, get everything together, and get ready to leave; Back home in your case, and into a home searching journey in ours," Moon answered. "And hope nothing else happens by then."

Everybody nodded and got prepared to finally leave and get some rest...

 ** _A short time later..._**

Star, now wearing a cloak along with her normal clothing, cracked her knuckles and opened a portal close to the Earth team, being the four magical godchildren and Mrs. Diaz.

"There, that portal should take you back to Echo Creek," Star remarked, before she looked at Mrs. Diaz. "Are you sure you have to go too, Febe? People are going to need the whole council, and, you know, you're the-"

"Star, I know exactly who I am: I'm Angie Diaz, proud Mother of Marco Diaz, and a Mewman name isn't going to change that," Mrs. Diaz answered with a cheerful tone. "Besides, if you're worried about the Mewmans not listening to you, how about we do this? Become my knight, and rule in my place?"

Star's eyes shined with awe. "Can we really do that?"

"Janna, your sword," Mrs. Diaz as she extended her hand towards the girl. "And you, Star, get on your knees."

Janna handed the woman the blood moon sword as Star obliged and got down on one knee, and lowered her head. And so, Mrs. Diaz touched Star's shoulders as she spoke:

"By whatever much power I have as Queen Febe, I hereby declare you, Star Butterfly, Knight of Hearts. And I give you the responsibility to rule as Queen of Hearts during my extended absence."

With that said, Mrs. Diaz turned to the rest of the council-and River-and told them, "Be sure to tell the Mewmans about this, okay?"

Moon, River, and Meteora, the former two looking immensely proud, nodded while Eclipsa hesitated a bit, then nodded while looking elsewhere with a concerned tone.

And with all that done, Mrs. Diaz handed Janna back her sword as Star and Marco shared a dialogue:

"So, the crazy psychopath that was Celena is gone, you got your body back, and though Mewni was destroyed, your species survived and you became my Mother's knight," Marco recapped. "I guess this is the part where we say goodbye, then?"

"I guess so, but..." Star then got an idea. "Before you go, can I ask you something?"

Marco nodded. "Go ahead."

"With Mewni gone, the Mewmans will have to look for a new home," Star folded her arms. "If we don't find anything in a week, can we stay on Echo Creek?"

The rest of the council and Mewmanity responded accordingly: "What?!"

"I'll be sure to talk with Globgor about it, but until he gives the okay, the answer's no," Marco answered. "In case he says yes, however, I'm sure if he'll do it under the condition the Mewmans live on the tower or on the rest of the city, 'cause most of the houses have been occupied."

Star hummed. "Is sharing a house a little too out-of-the-question?"

"Depends on who's sharing it with who," Marco scratched his chin. "Listen, the only thing I can promise you is that we'll talk things out with Globgor. Everything after that is entirely up to him, so if he rejects you, then get ready to grin and bear it."

Star nodded. "Alright, glad we could talk this out."

Marco shook hands with Star, then bowed down. "Goodbye, Star Butterfly, the best Mewman I've ever had the pleasure to know."

Star bowed down in return. "Goodbye, Marco Diaz. The most interesting human I've ever met."

With that said, the duo separated, and the earth team walked through the portal, which blinked out of existence afterwards. After that, the queen council and Star had a bit of a dialogue:

"So, Star," Moon started. "Are you holding up well?"

"What do you mean?" the girl inquired back.

"Well, you just found out a lot of rather shocking stuff," Moon frowned. "Your birth, your purpose, all that stuff. And I think you also started doubting your relationship with Hekapoo, right?"

"What relationship?" Eclipsa asked sternly. "Star and Hekapoo were never a thing: That redheaded jerk only got close to Star so she could keep an eye on Celena, nothing more!"

"Eclipsa, how could you know that?" Moon asked. "Anyway, what I'm trying to say is, I figured you'd be a little... exhausted, after all that."

Star took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "I'm still having trouble processing everything, but, that's not important right now."

The girl opened her eyes and smiled. "What matters is that we find a new home for Mewmanity, and then we'll rebuild, start looking for Hekapoo, and finally, find a way to seal Celena away for good."

Eclipsa threw a glare at Star. "Or, at least until we find a way to get her back to normal."

"Alright, but even with that aside, the fact that you just decided to discuss living with humanity as a last resort, without asking for our opinion mind you, is infuriating," Eclipsa remarked. "I know you wanted to try and give us a second option, but you could've given us a warning, you know!?"

"As much as I hate to say this, Mom's got a point," Meteora said. "After all, Globgor and his forces just tried to destroy Mewni, and the kingdom eventually was destroyed by the hand of one of his Children. With that in mind, Mewmanity coexisting with Globgor and his Children just... doesn't sound likely."

"I know, and I agree, I kinda jumped the wand over there," Star sighed. "But I had to take whatever chance I had, even if the results would've done more harm than good."

Star looked up at the sky with a hopeful look, and stated:

"Besides, I believe Marco will help us out somehow."

Meteora and Moon smiled at Star's optimism, while Eclipsa rolled her eyes. Star then looked back at the rest of the council and said, "Well, time to start looking for a new home."

Moon nodded, turned to the Mewmans in the distance, and proclaimed:

"Mewmanity, march forward! We'll across the universe until we get a new home!"

The mewmans obliged and started marching towards a giant portal Meteora opened, with the council of queens being the first to walk across it. And as the rest of Mewmanity crossed the portal, a group of figures watched from the distance:

Festivia, Solaria, and the remaining members of the Magic High Commission.

"I'll be sure to keep to keep an eye on the council," Omnitraxus spoke before he turned to Rhombulus and Lekmet. "But what will you two do?"

"Well, I'm thinking about joining the Butterflies in their quest for a new home: I've grown a bit fond of Moon to just let her go like that," Rhombulus answered, then turned to Lekmet. "What about you?"

The goat humanoid bleated a bit sadly, and Rhombulus flinched. "O-Oh... I see..."

Omnitraxus raised an eyebrow. "What did he say?"

"Since Thanatos is going to stay on Earth, Lekmet's decided to stay there too, in order to protect her and teach her how to control her powers," Rhombulus sighed. "She's got a lot to learn, so, we won't be seeing each other for a while."

Having said that, hombulus glanced at Lekmet, then hugged him as he said, "Please be careful!"

Lekmet bleated and patted the sentient crystal's back. He then took out a pair of intedimensional scissors and opened a portal, which made Solaia stand up.

"You're heading back to Earth, aren't you, Solaria?" Festivia asked.

"Heh, was it that obvious?" Solaria answered as she placed her arms behind her head. "I'm finally alive again after so many years, and I barely got to spend time with my daughter's family. I want to fix that as soon as possible."

"More power to you then," Festivia said as she stood up. "Me, I'll stay at the reformatory, keep the whole place and the princesses safe until Meteora returns."

"Well, good luck with that," Solaria answered as she waved goodbye.

Lekmet and Solaria went through the portal, which blinked out of existence soon afterwards. And following that, the last few Mewmans crossed their portal, and embarked on a journey to look for a new place to call home.


	37. Aftermath

**I probably should stop making promises about upcoming arcs, especially since this story has suffered so many hiatuses lately. XD**

 **Yes, I'm actually scrapping the training arc idea, because I won't be working on this story for a while. I want to work on my other long stories:**

 **Chains of Reality: Divinity Reborn, and Lux-Umbra Magna Auguratricis, for The Loud House.**

 **And Shocked, for Love Live! School Idol Project.**

 **So, in order to do that, I'm pulling a Steven Universe on this story. Now don't worry, I don't plan for this to go for too long, just until, perhaps, CoR: DR gets updated.**

 **Maybe.**

 **As for how much longer this story will go on... I dunno.**

 **I've got enough material for this to probably go on for several more chapters, maybe even breaking a hundred, but I don't think I'll have the time to get everything up to completion.**

 **And we're almost on the 50+ chapter mark, too...**

 **Oh well, no matter, I got a story to tell, even if it takes me longer than it takes for Star vs the Forces of Evil to air its next season!**

 **What? It's airing on May of this year? Huh... that's a bit earlier than I thought it would be. And for some reason I find that fishy.**

 **Regardless, let's answer some reviews:**

 **1) LunaraTheCorrupted: Eclipsa's a Mewman with a racist attitude towards maginuchs/humans, and Globgor is a high-ranking figure of people who were once victims of extreme prejudice brought by Mewmans. Does that answer your question?**

 **2) Guest: That does sound like something Glossaryck would do. XD**

 **3) Nobody 245: I'd need to see the season first to see if I can fit anything in there. Now, book characters, the answer to that's a little more interesting... mostly because I don't know either.**

 **Also, wow, I just realized we reached 100 reviews. And I believe the honor of the 100th review goes to Nobody245, so, good job, buddy! :)**

 **Anyway, on to the chapter...**

* * *

The sun rose high in the city of Echo Creek, with humanity still living peacefully even after the whole "invasion on Mewni" deal with Globgor and his army.

It's not that there wasn't fear concerning what Mewmanity would do in response, but seeing as they were searching for homes, it would be a while before their response would be an immediate concern for humanity.

However, for a certain redheaded woman in the tower of monsters, there was a bigger concern for her. This woman was Angie Diaz, who was talking with her mother, Solaria Butterfly.

"I-I don't know how this happened, but when I woke up this morning," Angie promptly revealed her six-fingered hands. "I had grown an extra finger on both my hands, and the heart cheekmarks weren't being erased no matter how much I washed them."

Solaria raised an eyebrow. "Washed them?"

Angie rolled her eyes. "I thought Janna was playing a prank on me."

"Hmm, well, this is just an idea with no particular foundation to it," Solaria scratched the back of her head. "But don't you think that, by using your magic both after discovering you were my daughter, and helping fight back the Children of Globgor during his invasion..."

Then, what Solaria said next was something Angie couldn't believe:

"Maybe your Mewman nature revealed itself?"

Angie's eyes diluted as they gained a golden color, only for them to turn back to normal when she closed them, shook her head, and rebutted:

"T-That can't be possible! That's not how Mewnification works! A human has to be imbued with magic to become a Mewman!"

"Look, I'm not saying you turned into a Mewman, I'm saying that after keeping it secret for so long, those two times you used your magic were the perfect time for your Mewman traits to come back," Solaria explained again, only to scratch her chin as she thought about it. "Truly, though, I could be just rambling about stuff that doesn't make sense."

Angie looked back at her six-fingered hands. "Whatever the case, I can't go out in public looking like this: How would humanity react if they found out one of the biggest Anti-Mewman people turned into a Mewman herself?!"

"Relax, you can always use some glamour to hide these traits," Solaria folded her arms. "What's more concerning right now is your son."

Mrs. Diaz's eyes went wide open. "Marco?"

"Yeah, he assumed his identity of Sol, didn't he? And he also used magic," Solaria frowned. "Not to mention, he had "Star Butterfly inside him," as you explained to me earlier."

Mrs. Diaz lowered her eyelids. "I was hoping I could explain it better."

"Nevermind that, if he has used magic then he's certainly going to assume a Mewman form," Solaria scratched her chin. "Or, well, as close to a Mewman form as he can, what with him being a guy and Mewmans being strictly female."

Angie looked elsehwere. "Marco's not exactly a guy."

"Well, whatever he is, he's probably showing Mewman traits too," Solaria stated. "Did you see how he looked like this morning?"

Mrs. Diaz looked elsewhere with a concerned look. "Well..."

 ** _Meanwhile, with the Earth Four..._**

Marco, Janna, Jackie, and Brittney sat on a bench at the park, the latter three looking at the former's six-fingered hands and sun-shaped cheekmarks.

"So, let me get this straight," Jackie scratched her chin. "You woke up this morning to find you had the cheekmarks from before, and had grown an extra finger on both hands?"

Marco nodded, and Jackie promptly turned to face Janna.

"I didn't play a prank on him this time!" the demonic human stated. "And besides, there's something more important we need to address."

Everybody raised an eyebrow, and Janna promptly revealed what she was talking about:

"Are you a girl now, Marco?"

A pregnant silence followed... and instead of it being followed by exasperaed grunts from the trio, Marco folded his arms and looked up, while Jackie scratched her chin and looked at the ground.

Brittney just looked elsewhere, hoping not to get involved in the discussion.

"It is common knowledge that biological Mewmans are purely female, and the male ones are more like immigrants," Jackie folded her arms and sighed. "That being said, Marco's gender has always been a headache inducer, so this is something we should probably ignore for now."

"Fair enough, I guess," Janna shrugged. "So, what do we do now?"

"Lekmet came earlier today to pick me up, saying that he wanted to train me," Brittney blurted, getting everybody's attention. "Maybe we could all go train with him, too?"

"But you're the only one he could train effectively, being his Goddaughter and all," Janna pointed out. "For the rest of us, we'd need to get our respective GMOs to give us training, and being so high and important they're probably too busy."

Janna glanced at Marco. "And, in Marco's case, it would be for the better if we didn't see her for a while."

Marco narrowed his eyes and lowered his head. "Hekapoo..."

"I wonder what happened to her after she destroyed Mewni," Jackie remarked. "I mean, she could've always gone back to her own dimension, but since Mewmanity's still around, I don't think she's going to stop at destroying their former home."

"We could ask Lekmet what he thinks, or ask him to ask Omnitraxus about it," Brittney suggested. "And also, I'll ask you to join me again, not as training partners but as watchers. You can do that, right?"

"Yeah, I guess we could," Janna answered with a shrug. "Not like I have anything better to do, anyway."

"Me neither," Jackie answered. "Me neither, my shift at the Scum Bucket is late tonight, so I got some free time."

The girls turned to Marco, and the boy took a deep breath and answered:

"Sure, let's go."

Now all agreeing to go, the Earth Four got off the bench and followed Brittney to Lekmet's spot, so they could go train at his dimension...

And as they left, a certain fiery hooded figure watched them and chuckled:

"So, you're going to teach them something, Lekmet? Well, that's something I just gotta see."


	38. Training with Lekmet

**And now we bring you another chapter of Wands of Destiny, after what probably felt like an eternity after the-admittedly lackluster-last chapter. And no, just because I posted this today doesn't mean there will be a new chapter next week.**

 **I'll work on this on my own pace, and if another chapter comes next week, awesome. If not, well I got other things you can read in the meantime, if you wish so of course.**

 **First, let's answer some reviews:**

 **1) Nobody245:**

 ***If it wasn't part of some journal I wrote on Deviantart, then it was an idea that I either forgot to add or didn't have the time to include on the story proper, but yes, technically speaking the Mewmans are strictly female: The male Mewmans seen here are more like national Mewmans, rather than biological ones. And yes, I know Jushtin's a thing, but be patient.**

 *** There won't be a timeskip, at least for a while. There's one more particular topic that hasn't been talked about that I wanna deal with before I do anything like that.**

 **2) Kuro Neko9695 (Chapter 34): MARCO-NOR!**

 **3) Kuro Neko9695: It would be funny, and an interesting idea, but this would require for me to establish Marco's actual gender and sex, and where's the fun in that?**

 **And now, to the chapter.**

* * *

 ** _The Tower, First Floor..._**

Mrs. Diaz came out of the teleporter leading to the final floor, and slowly walked towards the entrance, with a familiar figure waiting by the door, both her hands hidden in her skirt's pockets. This figure was Toffee, who sported a worried look as he saw the woman's slowed walking.

"Angie?" the lizard man asked. "Are you okay?"

Mrs. Diaz took a couple heavy breaths as she remembered exactly what went through a few moments ago...

 ** _Flashback..._**

 _"There's no way in the underworld that I'm doing that to you, Angie," Solaria stated._

 _"B-But Mom, didn't you hear my reasoning for my you should do it?!" Mrs. Diaz answered with a concerned, almost panicking tone. "How are people going to react when they found out a former human turned into a Mewman?! Sure, everybody knows the Mewmans origins, but-"_

 _"Angie, you have to calm down!" Solaria stated as she put her hands on Angie's shoulders. "Remember: The more you panic, the more likely you'll turn into a monster!"_

 _"Can you blame me!?" Mrs. Diaz slapped Solaria's hands away. "The only person that can help me is refusing to do so, and I'm in danger of being faced with the same attitude humanity has towards mewmanity, too!"_

 _"You're worrying over nothing!" Solaria stated. "Just because you turned into a Mewman overnight doesn't mean-"_

 _Suddenly, Angie snatched Solaria's sword._

 _"Wait, Angie!" Solaria exclaimed, quickly grabbing the redhead's arm as she shed tears. "What do you think you're doing?!"_

 _Mrs. Diaz charged a light sphere and shot it at Solaria, sending her flying into a wall, where the sphere then turned into chains and kept the Mewman in place._

 _"If you're not going to help me get rid of my Mewman traits..."_

 _Angie raised the sword high and looked at her fingers._

 _"Then I'll do it myself!"_

 _Then she swung it down as Solaria screamed for her to stop..._

 ** _Back in the Present..._**

The woman reached the lizard man, and using her strength to flash a nervous smile, she answered:

"Y-Yes, I'm fine."

"Alright then," Toffee answered. "Can you go to the station by yourself, or should I come with you?"

"No, don't worry, I can get there just fine," the woman answered as she walked past the humanoid lizard, without even bothering to look at him to boot. "You got nothing to worry about."

Angie said that, but the blood stains on the dress and the woman starting to stagger did nothing to convince Toffee's mind. So, he walked up to Angie, lifted her, and carried her bridal style to the police station, with the woman sighing:

"T-Thanks... Toffee..."

"No problem, but seriously, if something's wrong, you should tell me," the lizard man answered bluntly. "We'll go to work, and once it's finished, you'll tell me what's up, alright?"

Angie frowned.

"Okay..."

 ** _Meanwhile, with the Earth Four..._**

The team of Marco, Janna, Jackie, and Brittney followed Lekmet through a portal into the goat chairman's dimension, which was the same greenfields with an eternal night as before. However, there were fewer Lekmetoids around.

"So, this is the place where Brittney's going to train?" Marco asked as he looked around, then noticed the Lekmetoids around. "What are those things that look like miniature Lekmets?"

Lekmet bleated, and Brittney explained:

"Lekmetoids, they're like little pieces of Lekmet himself. It's said that when he dies, one of the Lekmetoids are used as hosts for his resurrection, and after a while, the Lekmetoid evolves into Lekmet."

"And where did you hear that?" Jackie inquired.

Lekmet did a "This guy!" position, with Brittney pointing at him for further emphasis.

"So, wait a minute, you can understand Lekmet's bleating now?" Janna asked with slight surprise. "Last time I checked, he needed to write down what he said in order to understand him. Right, Marco?"

The boy looked elsewhere. "Why do you ask me?"

"Listen, I know this is a sudden development, I'm pretty surprised myself," Jackie remarked, getting the duo's attention. "But for now, let's just go along with it like it was normal, alright?"

"Sure, considering everything else that's happened up to this point, that might as well be our reaction to everything from now on," Jackie scoffed as she sat down. "So, we'll be here, watching as Lekmet trains you, okay?"

Brittney nodded, exchanged looks with Lekmet, and the duo promptly went to train while the rest of the Earth Four watched them. Janna and Marco seemed rather melancholic, while Jackie blinked twice and rubbed her eyes, almost as if she had difficulty seeing.

"Is something wrong, Jackie?" Marco asked.

"What? No, I don't think so," the girl answered with a wave of her hand. "I just started seeing things, for some reason."

"That sounds like something, and not the good kind of something," Janna remarked. "What exactly were you seeing?"

Before Jackie could elaborate on what she meant, Lekmet appeared and sat with the trio, bleating something to them.

"Dude, Brittney's the only one who understands you," Janna said. "Do you have notes or something you can write your thoughts into, maybe?"

"I think he's saying he wants to tell us something," Marco remarked.

And to his surprise, that's what the goat chairman wanted. So, he took out some notes and wrote something down, with Jackie looking at him intently... with a concerned look, which also caught Marco and Janna's attention...

 ** _Meanwhile, at the Diaz Household..._**

Mr. Diaz sat on the couch, with Angie sitting next to him. She had her hands bandaged, and slight bags under her eyes, as she drank a juice box.

And judging by the empty juice boxes next to her, this was her third one.

"So, let me get this straight," Mr. Diaz said as he rubbed his forehead, and Angie finished the box. "You're literally so scared of the idea people will be racist towards you because you're Mewman, that you cut off your own fingers and tried to act like nothing happened?!"

"And they found out anyway when they saw my cheekmarks and my missing fingers," Mrs. Diaz answered, rolling her eyes as she grabbed the boxes and threw them into the trashcan. "Now that I think about it, I probably should've done something about the cheekmarks too."

"You shouldn't have done anything at all, Angie!" Rafael exclaimed, startling his wife. "I know you don't like the idea of suddenly turning into a Mewman, but hurting yourself and cutting off your fingers won't put everything back to normal!"

"And what am I supposed to do, Rafael?!" Angie exclaimed back. "Just accept the fact that I've turned into the very thing I've hated all my life?! I can't just sit back and do nothing!"

"So you go ahead and cut off your fingers?!"

"I wasn't thinking straight, okay?!"

Upon hearing that, Mr. Diaz didn't give his wife a straight answer: Instead, he looked at her with a genuine look of concern and worry, which seemed to be enough to at least calm her down.

Once she calmed down enough to sit down and take a deep breath, the man gave an actual answer:

"Sweetheart, how about I prepare you something to eat, and then go to your bedroom so you can take a nap or something?"

"Y-Yeah, I should probably do that," Mrs. Diaz said as she lowered her head. "I'll stay here and wait."

The man nodded, and promptly went to make his wife something to eat, while a shadowy figure watched them from the window before they left.

After a quick snack and some help getting to her room, just in case something happened, Angie settled down on the bed and took a nap, just as somebody knocked the door.

Mr. Diaz immediately went downstairs and answered it, though he was more surprised than happy to see who was outside.

"Solaria?"

"Rafael..." the woman answered. "We... need to talk."

 ** _Back at Lekmet's Domain..._**

Marco, Jackie, and Janna remained down on the grass, petting some Lekmetoids while the goat chairman finished telling them something.

As for Brittney, she played with some Lekmetoids from afar, laughing cheerfully as they showered her with affection.

"So, what you're trying to say is that Brittney's your counterpart?" Marco asked as he casually petted a Lekmetoid in the belly. "She brings life and new beginnings, while you bring death and endings?"

Lekmet nodded.

"Huh, if that's the case, I wonder how we'd fit as our respective "godparents"' counterparts," Janna remarked as she put her arms behind her head. "I mean, my "godparent" is a sentient crystal prison, so how am I supposed to work?"

"You could act like a warden, I think?" Jackie asked. "I mean, if Rhombulus is a sentient prison, he needs somebody to watch over the prisoners inside his... self, right?"

"Only problem is that I don't think Rhombulus' "prison" can be accessed that easily," Janna shook her head. "And besides, what better warden could he ask for than himself?"

"Well, at least you can think of ideas on how to help your godparent," Jackie rested her chin on her palm. "Meanwhile, my godparent's a giant sentient galaxy with control over space and time. I mean, going from that description, it doesn't sound like he needs me at all."

"Just 'cause he controls time and space doesn't mean he can exist everywhere at once," Janna retorted, only to properly think about it. "Or maybe he does... what do you think, Marco?"

However, the boy wasn't around the girls anymore, and was in front of Brittney instead, watching as she generated a sphere of light magic.

"So, you throw this thing to anywhere at all, and it'll explode and heal the surrounding area, rather than destroy it?" the boy asked, earning a nod from the goat girl. "How about you give me a demonstration?"

The girl smiled wide, almost as if she had been waiting for someone to tell her that. So she nodded, turned to a random spot, and threw the sphere like a basketball at the spot, with the ensuing collision and explosion making the spot grow flowers, and healthier grass, which the Lekmetoids ran after moments afterwards.

"Whoa, that's impressive!" Marco remarked as he brushed Brittney's head. "Although, admittedly, it wouldn't be very useful in actual combat unless you're fighting the undead. Anything that classifies as holy can do considerable damage to the undead, right?"

"No, that's not how they work, I think," Janna answered as she walked up to the duo. "Fire's more likely to put them down for good than holy stuff, that does damage but doesn't get the job as quickly."

Brittney raised an eyebrow. "And how would you know that?"

Marco threw a disapproving look at Janna. "Let's just say that one of the many "experiments" we did together involved the undead and me."

Janna giggled and scratched the back of her head with a sheepish look, and as the trio continued to talk, Jackie looked at them firmly and sternly, her eyes briefly glowing a vibrant shade of yellow and blue before they turned back to normal.

 ** _Back at the Diaz Household..._**

"So, you came here from Globgor's tower to see if Angie hadn't collapsed yet from blood loss?" Mr. Diaz asked as he folded his arms. "And that she wanted _you_ to be the one to cut her fingers in the first place?"

"Rafael, I'm not going to lie to you: Both during my ruling as queen, and as a normal "human" here on Earth, I was a pretty violent person, which has been recorded in the history books," Solaria sadly confessed. "So, if there's anybody who'll likely be used as a scapegoat for anything that involves a violent outcome or matter, that someone would most likely be me."

Mr. Diaz raised an eyebrow. "Are you used to it?"

"I'm _expecting_ it, if that's what you mean," Solaria sighed and crossed her legs. "And I've had enough experience with both the High Tyrant and the Fiery Pain-In-The-Neck to know how to stay calm even after I'm pinned for the blame."

Seeing genuine worry in the woman, and not wanting any unnecessary violence, the man promptly said:

"Listen, we both only want what's best for Angie: I want her to avoid becoming a monster through stress, and you don't want her to go nuts trying to sever her connection to her Mewmanity. So, how about we work together to try and find a balance between those two lives of her?"

Solaria, however, scoffed at the notion. "Aren't you supposed to be Globgor's top enforcer? Aren't his views supposed to be the same as yours?"

"Hey, Globgor may look like a giant devil, but he's actually a nice guy," Mr. Diaz replied. "And yes, he hates Mewmans as much as the next guy, but I'm willing to bet he'd pick a more pragmatic option before even considering just throwing the blame to a Mewman."

"You say this after he staged an invasion that ultimately resulted in the destruction of Mewni, even if he himself wasn't the one who destroyed it in the end," Solaria sighed and crossed her arms. "Then again, he himself seemed at least reasonable by Monster standards, which isn't saying much, but still-"

"Solaria, please, let's just cut to the chase and accept the deal," Rafael exasperatedly said. "It's for Angie's sake."

The woman took a deep breath and looked away, before she smiled and shook hands with the man, basically sealing the deal with a statement:

"As long as my little sweetheart's fine, I'll do anything."

 ** _Back at Lekmet's Domain... again..._**

Marco, Janna, Lekmet, and Jackie-from very far away-watched as Brittney took out a pair of pom poms from her back, and started doing some dance moves as she charged the pom poms with life magic, causing them to glow white.

"That's it, Brittney, keep it up!" Jackie shouted, getting Marco's attention.

"Cheer like your life depended on it!" Janna chirped.

Brittney giggled at the encouragement, and continued to dance as the pom poms started glowing more brightly, until some Lekmetoids ran up to her, wondering what the lights were on about.

Then, as the pom poms reached their glowing peak, Brittney jumped as high as she could, and spread vampiric wings as she threw the pom poms in the air, which burst into fireworks that healed and enhanced anything they came into contact with.

This included the Lekmetoids, who grew up to be around the size of an adult goat, and grew bat wings soon after.

Shortly after, Janna, Marco, and Lekmet ran up to the girl and she fell right in Lekmet's arms, with Janna walking up to and petting her afterwards.

"Well, we can consider that a glowing success! This little trick's certainly going to be useful!" the demonic human remarked before she turned to Marco. "What do you think, Marco?"

However, the boy didn't answer: He was focusing his attention on Jackie, who looked at the Lekmetoids around her with the same eerie look that she got in her eyes a few minutes ago.

"I didn't notice until now, but Jackie has been eyeing people for a while now, from Lekmet, to me, and Janna, even one of the Lekmetoids," Marco answered. "And she's been looking at us with this tired look, almost as if she felt exhausted."

"But she's been sitting down since she got here, why would she be exhausted?" Brittney questioned as Lekmet put her down.

"I don't know either," Marco sighed. "But I get the feeling something's up with her."

"Yeah, something's definitely up," Janna remarked. "I'll go talk to her, see if something's troubling her mind."

As Janna walked to the girl, Marco and Brittney exchanged concerned looks, with Lekmet joining in with a confused look as well.

And as soon as she got close to Jackie, the Lekmetoids took one look at her before they ran away, seemingly in fear.

"Hi Jackie," Janna greeted, getting the Half-Pixie's atteniton. "Hey, Marco couldn't help but notice that you've been looking at things with a disturbing look, and I was wondering if there's something bothering you."

"Oh, have I? Sorry, I, uh, hadn't noticed," Jackie said, lowering her head and avoiding eye contact. "Nothing's bothering me, though."

"Listen, we're friends, right?" Janna asked as she sat next to the girl, and wrapped her arm around her. "Best friends, girlfriends, just friends, whatever you want to call us, the point is that we're friends, right?"

Jackie shrank, and so did her eyes. "Y-Yeah?"

"And there are all kinds of friends: Those who want you for something, those who you share something with, and then there's friends like me, who are willing to hear people out and help them with their troubles," Janna continued, leaning closer to Jackie. "So, how about you tell me what's wrong, and I'll try to help you however I can?"

Without warning, Jackie pushed Janna away, doing so hard enough to actually injure the girl's chest. Shortly after, Marco, Brittney, and Lekmet ran up to the demonic human, with the former two looking at Jackie as the girl took a step back, then looked at her arm and stuttered:

"M-My shift at the Scum Bucket's about to start, bye!"

Jackie immediately ran away, leaving a small patch of frozen ice each step.

"Weird, I don't think Jackie had a wristwatch with her when we got here," Janna remarked. "But more importantly, why did she push me and run away like that?"

"To be fair, you were invading her personal space," Marco said as he and Brittney helped Janna stand up. "You should've seen that coming."

"I know, and I would understand it if it was anybody else, but Jackie already knows that I like to get uncomfortably close to people sometimes," the demonic human answered as she dusted herself. "And besides, even if she didn't know that, isn't the way she just up and ran a little suspicious?"

"Hmm... I see what you mean, but maybe whatever's bothering her is something on the personal level?" Brittney suggested. "If that's the case, then until we get proof otherwise, we should let her sort things out on her own."

"As much as I hate to say this, you have a point," Marco sighed. "If we try get involved now, we might do more harm than good. Let's leave her alone for now."

"And we should start focusing on training you to fight, too," Janna added. "After all, your powers are cool, but not very useful for a long fight on your own."

Marco folded his arms and smiled. "And I think I know just the guy who can help with that. Are you up to pay a visit to Sensei's dojo?"

"Oh right, the dojo!" Janna chirped. "We haven't had a chance to pay Sensei a visit since this whole deal with magic happened!"

Lekmet raised an eyebrow, prompting his goddaughter to explain:

"Long before we met you, Marco, Janna, Jackie, and I joined a martial arts dojo in order to learn self-defense. Jackie quit when she got a job at the Scum Bucket, though..."

The goat chairman took a moment to think about it, then he turned around and asked...

 ** _Finally, with the Council of Queens..._**

"You want me to go to Earth?"

That question was asked by Star as she sat with the rest of the legitimate queens of Mewni, relaxing on a bonfire far away from the camp set up by River for the rest of the Mewmans.

"That's the place Febe decided to stay at, Star," Eclipsa answered. "And considering the toxic nature of humanity, there's not a chance that she won't end up trying to either kill herself or take down Mewmanity with her, once she fully processes her status as a queen!"

"What Eclipsa's trying to say is that, as a fellow queen of Mewni, we're honestly feeling a little worried for her health, physically and mentally," Meteora translated. "And, since we can't leave Mewmanity in its current state, and you're her knight, it's only natural that we send you to check up on her."

"But she explicitly told me to act as a leader while she was away, and even if that's not what she said, then that's what I got from her order," Star answered as she rested her chin on her palm. "And besides, she didn't look like she had any interest in ruling Mewni before she left."

"That doesn't mean that she's safe from whatever the future may hold, especially considering Glossaryck or Celena might try to do something," Moon said as she put a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Furthermore, and I'm very sorry to say this, but she needs you more than _we_ need _you_."

Star's eyes widened in disbelief. "Either Warnicorns must be flying or someone's starting to go nuts, because _you're_ the last person I thought I'd hear say those words."

"Bottom line is, we're giving you the job of keeping an eye on Febe until she either turns into a monster, or decides to woman up, and either abdicates or takes the throne, whichever comes first," Eclipsa stated. "And while you're at it, take your father with you."

Star raised an eyebrow. "And why do you want him to come with me?"

"To keep you safe," Moon answered.

"To handle the fighting," Meteora added.

"To get his obnoxious nature away from us," Eclipsa sternly finished.

"O-kay, I understand, I'll ask Dad to come with me," Star stood up, then hesitated. "But will you be fine without me or Dad around?"

"Oh please, Star, we're the Butterfly family!" Eclipsa proudly boasted, standing up and raising a fist. "We've managed to survive thousands of years of harsh conditions, monster attacks, and everything else the universe threw at us, and we're still standing! Losing a puppet queen-no offense-and a puppet king is an irrelevant loss!"

"And we'll keep an eye on Mom so she doesn't annihilate our species overnight," Meteora scoffed afterwards, getting an enraged look from her mother.

Moon stood up, brushed Star's head, and said with a reassuring tone:

"We'll be fine, Star. You go and do your job as a knight."

The knight smiled at the statement, and nodded with confidence. She then turned around, and walked towards her father at the camp, while both Eclipsa and Meteora held Moon back so she wouldn't follow her.

"Hey, Dad," Star greeted.

The man was currently dancing at the bonfire with some of his subjects, wearing a loincloth over his king uniform, while a large beast was being roasted over the open fire.

He stopped dancing as soon as he saw his daughter laughing at him, however.

"Star! I'm surprised you came here!" River chirped as he ran up to and hugged his daughter. "Do you want to join us? Don't worry, you don't have to wear a loincloth like your old man."

"Haha, no, Dad; Mom told me to go to Earth to keep an eye on Febe, and Eclipsa asked me to take you with me," Star explained. "So, wanna come?"

The man paused for a moment, then raised his arms, and flexed his muscles so hard, his king uniform was completely torn to shreds, and his eyes lost their pupils as he glashed an excited smile at his daughter and exclaimed:

"Let's go!"


	39. Earth Revisited

**1st of March, the beginning of the end of the first third of 2019. Gotta admit, I didn't expect the year to fly by so fast, but oh well, what can one do?**

 **Anyway, I'm updating this now because, well, it's been a while since I did update it, and with a new coming later on, I might not be posting for a while now. So, better not leave everybody in the dark about what's coming next in this story, right? Besides, the next chapter's almost finished.**

 **Anyhow, let's answer some reviews:**

 **1) Nobody245: To be fair, anything could be up, considering Glossaryck may or may not be still out there... oh, and Celena too.**

 **2) Kuro neko9695 (Spanish):**

 *** Me alegro.**

 *** Lo considerare, tranquilo.**

 *** Por cierto, no sabia que hablabas espanol.**

 **3) Kuro neko9695 (English):**

 *** It's okay, it happens sometimes.**

 *** I'm glad.**

 *** I will, don't worry.**

 **And now, to the chapter.**

* * *

A portal opened at the outskirts of Echo Creek, and Star and her father, the latter still in his buffed up form, jumped out of it and overlooked the city from a cliff.

"There it is, Dad, Echo Creek, one of the many human cities on Earth," Star stated as she edged closer to the cliff's... edge. "Now, let's go over there carefully: If we go too fast, we might alert the humans."

Star promptly jumped off and slid down the cliff into the forest, slowly speeding up until she braked right before she hit a tree.

And then River jumped from the cliff and landed on top of said tree, destroying it and creating a crater in the process.

"Dad, what did I tell you about going down here carefully?!" Star snapped. "All you needed to do was do the same thing I did!"

"And risk turning into a boulder or slipping on something? No way!" River answered as he stretched. "Besides, a Johanssen always takes a headstrong approach to everything!"

Star rolled her eyes. "Just please try not to catch more unwanted attention, alright? Last thing we need is-"

"Is somebody there?"

Star and her Dad promptly got on each other's backs and looked around for the one who said that, who revealed themselves to be...

Ludo, carrying a bag of fish.

Seeing there was no danger, the Father-Daughter duo calmed down, and in Star's case, lit up as she ran towards the monster.

"Oh my goodness, Ludo! I completely forgot you lived on Earth!" Star chirped as she hugged the kappa affectionately. "How have you been doing?"

"I've been mostly fine, especially once this headache I've had for the last couple days went away," the kappa answered as he returned the hug. "Last thing I remember before I got it was me attacking a pair of teenagers at night."

Star nervously laughed and scratched the back of her head, which Ludo caught on quickly enough.

"Of course, I should've figured out you or one of your friends had been related to it sooner," the kappa shook his head with an amused smile. "After all, you've always been the biggest source of headaches for me."

Star gasped and shouted "Shut up!" as she gently pushed the kappa away, before joining him in a little laugh, her father too confused to know what to do next.

"Hey, could we stay at your house for a moment?" the girl asked. "There's just so much I need to tell you right now, and the longer my dad and I stay out here, the more likely some random human group will find us and alert everyone."

"Sure, you don't need to ask," the kappa answered. "Follow me."

The Father-Daughter duo obliged, River more hesitantly than Star, and they followed the kappa to his humble abode.

 ** _Meanwhile, with Jackie..._**

The teenager clutched her stomach as she walked unsteadily across the streets, trying to remain stable until she reached the port. During her walk, the girl's leg suddenly felt weak and she tumbled to the side, only for somebody to appear and hold her before she hit the ground.

"Need some help?"

The girl looked up, and saw the person who helped her was Oskar Greason, her brother, looking like a normal human besides the clearly Pixie-like eyes.

"Oskar? What are you doing here?" Jackie asked as the guy helped her stand up. "And why do you look like a human?"

"Glamour, obviously," the boy casually answered. "Plus, I had a feeling you were going to feel weak like this eventually, so I decided to wait in the shadows until you started showing symptoms of starvation."

"Starvation?" Jackie repeated as the boy helped her sit on a bench. "B-But, I haven't been fasting, I had breakfast today, and it hasn't been a long time since this morning. How could I be starving?"

Oskar folded his arms and took a deep breath, taking a moment to think about how to word his answer, so as to not disturb his sister.

"Pixies require a particular type of... food, in order to remain stable: If they don't eat it, then you can eat anything and everything you can think of, but it won't give you the nutrients you need."

"Okay then, what's this food you're talking about?" Jackie inquired. "And most of all, please tell me it's easy to find."

Oskar frowned. "Oh, Jackie, this city's practically _swimming_ in the stuff."

This did nothing but further increase Jackie's curiosity and desperation to get some of the stuff her brother was talking about. So, he leaned closer to her ear, and whispered what the stuff was.

Jackie was stunned, to say the least.

"T-That can't be true! There has to be some kind of mistake!" Jackie exclaimed, nearly falling off the bench in the process. "I-If that's really something I need to eat to survive, how does that make me any better than the mindless monsters going around, then?!"

"You still have enough sentience to know what's right and wrong, for starters," Oskar stated. "And besides, it's going to take much more than a constant hunger to drive you into acting like one of those things."

Jackie frowned. "What am I supposed to do, then?"

"Well, first thing's first," Oskar folded his arms. "We need to find somebody who can regenerate their limbs, so that even if you eat them, they won't come out of it with one less limb."

The boy turned around and raised an eyebrow. "Do you know somebody like that?"

Jackie lowered her head. "I do, but..."

 ** _Sensei's Dojo..._**

"What do you mean you won't let us in!?"

Janna was the one who snapped that at the guard, Buff Frog, in the dojo's entrance, who seemed fairly calm despite being faced by a goat-like girl, a demonic human, Marco, and the literal Great Magical One of Entropy, or whatever Lekmet was supposed to be.

"The sensei was very clear: Nobody enters while classes are in session," Buff Frog stated. "If you're students, then you arrived way too late."

"Well, we are, but we just wanted to pay him a visit!" Janna growled.

"Quit it, Janna, all three of us know the rules of the dojo," Marco said, getting the demonic human's attention. "We'll just have to show Lekmet what that's all about through the windows."

The girl threw a pouty face at Buff Frog, and seeing the frog-like monster wouldn't budge, she let the air out as she, Brittney, and Marco guided Lekmet to the dojo's windows. Once there, they gestured the goat chairman to see through them, but he hesitated.

"Don't worry about scaring anybody who sees you," Marco said. "Both the sensei and the students are probably too busy with their work to pay attention to you."

Feeling slightly relieved, the goatman went to the window and looked through it.

What he saw inside was a bunch of students practicing a repeated set of karate moves, with a man wearing a black uniform watching over them.

"The guy in black is Sensei."

Lekmet flinched and turned to see the one who said that, who was Marco.

"Sensei's job is to watch over the students, their growth, and teach them martial arts techniques," he continued. "He's also the owner and caretaker of the dojo itself, so he's quite busy most of the time."

With that information now in mind, Lekmet turned back to see the teacher continue to look at his students, paying full attention to it as Brittney promptly got up and rested her head on his shoulder.

On seeing this, Lekmet looked at Brittney as she said:

"Looks interesting, doesn't it?"

The goatman nodded with a little smile, then turned back to the dojo, causing Brittney to ask:

"You want to learn how to do those moves?"

Marco and Janna exchanged worried looks, with a bit of disbelief too: After all, Lekmet was a practically godlike magical being, what would learning martial arts do for him.

But then Lekmet nodded, and Brittney pointed at Marco as she said:

"Marco's Sensei's star student, I'm sre he can teach those moves to you if you ask nicely."

The guy took a step back, and smiled nervously, thinking he knew where this was going...

 ** _Meanwhile, at Ludo's House..._**

Star sat down and looked around as the kappa prepared some tea, with a pair of cups placed in front of Star and the confused River.

"Star, I know I probably should've asked about this earlier," River blurted, getting his daughter's attention. "But who, exactly, is this monster you're so friendly with?"

"Dad, you probably don't remember him, but this is Ludo, the prince of the Kappa Kingdom," Star explained. "His family was among the monsters deemed "worthy" of being spared from Celena's monster annihilation attack."

"Oh right, I think his parents were in the dungeons before Mewni was invaded," River remarked, leaning back against the wall. "In fact, they were among the monsters evacuated, too. So I'm pretty sure they managed to escape the kingdom's destruction."

"I still find it hard to believe Mewni's been destroyed," the kappa said as he poured some tea. "I mean, it was bound to happen, especially after everything Celena did, but it sounds like it happened so suddenly and without warning."

"Yeah, it did," Star nodded. "Mewmanity's currently trying to look for a new place to call home. And both given the infinitely random nature of the universe, and the bad reputation Mewman's gotten over the years, it's gonna take a while."

Star then took another sip of her tea, then said:

"So, about your corruption into a mindless beast..."

Ludo stopped pouring tea. "I had a feeling you were going to bring that up sooner or later."

"One night, when I was in Royal Woods with So-" the girl explained, only to hesitate with Marco's name. "A boy named Marco, he and I saw you as a mindless monster, and we had to work together to take you down and turn you back to normal."

"Yes, I can somewhat remember that," Ludo sighed as he sat down. "And you want me to tell you what I remember before losing my mind?"

Star and River nodded, and the kappa thusly explained...

 ** _Flashback..._**

 _"I was fishing around the swamp, just trying to get something to eat for dinner, when I heard something in the water."_

 _The fishing kappa looked around with a confused look._

 _"It was a female voice, calling out to me."_

 _Then he leaned closer to the water, where he only saw his own reflection._

 _"She said that she needed my help with something, and that I was the only one that could help her."_

 _Slowly, the reflection changed shape as the kappa asked something..._

 _"Naturally, I wanted to ask her what exactly she meant, but before I could ask anything..."_

 _Suddenly, a pink mist came from the water and entangled Ludo in itself._

 _"A magical aura enveloped me, and started to corrupt me into one of the mindless monsters that plagued Royal Woods several hundreds or thousands of years ago."_

 _Ludo's body contorted grotesquely as the monster looked like he was screaming in pain._

 _"The last thing I saw before I lost my mind..."_

 _The kappa's vision went numb as the reflection finally finished morphing... into the Pixie Empress' face._

 _"The face of Oberon."_

 ** _Present..._**

"The Pixie Empress?!" Star exclaimed, slamming her hands down the table and standing up. "W-Why was her face there?! In fact, are you sure it was even her face?!"

"There was no way I could mistake it: Blue skin the color of the cleanest ocean, hair with a shade of purple only seen in the best wine, and a pair of dazzling eyes that could disarm a monster in seconds-!"

Star narrowed her eyes and growled, "Ludo!"

"Hey, if I didn't take extra effort in describing her, you wouldn't be able to tell if I was talking about her or Celena!" Ludo argued in his defense. "But yes, Star, I really did see Oberon in the lake."

The girl sat down as her father promptly said:

"So, Oberon corrupted Ludo for some unknown reason? I didn't even know Pixies had the ability to corrupt others."

"The average Pixie can't corrupt others, at least not without corrupting themselves in the process," Star answered, shaking her head. "However, being their leader, there's probably something that lets Oberon wield the power with no negative consequences."

"If that's the case, then the Pixies are far more dangerous than we thought," River folded his arms. "No wonder Eclipsa's the only one to deal with them on a regular basis. I always thought she just checked on them frequently 'cause she was bored."

"No, I'm pretty sure that's the reason why she sees them so often," Star sighed, and rested her chin on her palm. "Still, to think Pixies have the power to corrupt other people..."

Suddenly, Star heard a cry from far away, causing her to stand up and run out of the house, with her barely taking a couple of steps before she encountered the one who cried.

This someone being Jackie.

"Are you the one who I heard screaming?!" Star exclaimed as she took a closer look at the girl.

"Y-Yeah, b-but it's nothing you should worry about," Jackie answered, forcing a nervous smile. "I was just... hit by a sudden stomachache, that's all."

A closer look revealed to Star that Jackie was a girl she met before: At the police station, and who seemed particularly hostile towards her, alongside another girl. However, seeing how disheveled she looked, Star wondered if the girl could even recognized her.

So she bluntly asked: "Have we met before?"

"No, of course not," Jackie answered with a nervous smile. "What makes you think that?"

" _I see, so she either doesn't remember me, or she's trying to fool me,_ " the knight thought as she steadied her sword. "I don't know, I just get the feeling I've seen you before."

"N-No, can't recall ever seeing you before," Jackie chuckled. "Especially since I probably would remember seeing a Mewman around here-"

Suddenly, Jackie's stomach acted up and gave her a sharp pain, causing her to clutch it and scream again.

"W-What happened?!" Star asked.

"I-It's... n-nothing..." Jackie stuttered as she got on her knees. "You... g-got to worry... about-"

"Listen, you're on your knees, shivering and writhing in pain," the knight stated. "I don't care how many times you repeat it, this is something that I'll definitely worry about!"

"What's going on?!"

Star turned around and saw her father coming to her side, as she answered:

"I don't know, this girl just started having a painful stomachache for some reason."

"There is a reason."

Then she turned around again to see Oskar walking up to Jackie's side.

"Dang it," Jackie growled. "So you caught up."

"Yeah, and it was both very rude and stressful for you to up and run away like that," Oskar scolded the girl before he explained, "You see, Jackie here is half-Pixie, and as such, she's currently suffering withdrawal effects from not eating a particular type of food."

"Dad, you went with Mom to the Mewni creature archives once, right?" Star asked, earning a nod from the man. "Do you remember if any of the entries talked about Pixies?"

"Well, I do remember reading something about them," River folded his arms and scratched his chin. "Besides being incredibly stingy and easily agitated, they seem to have a preference for... a peculiar type of meat."

Star raised an eyebrow. "So, they're explicit carnivores."

"No, the book described them as "conditional omnivores," River scratched the back of his head. "Apparently that's supposed to mean that they're omnivorous, as long as they feed on one specific type of food every once in a while."

"What type of food is that?"

The man frowned and lowered his head, almost as if he was worried about the answer. But, he gathered enough strength to lean up to Star's ear, and whispered the type to her.

The answer disgusted her, to say the least.

"You've got to be kidding, that can't be true!" Star stated, taking a step back in shock. "I mean, that sounds like something Septarians or other particularly brutish species of Monsters would consume, not a miniature race like the Pixies!"

"That's what I thought, but apparently, they don't seem to work on logic," River sighed. "Anyway, if she's suffering from the same withdrawal effects that Pixies do, she'll have to eat the same thing they do if she wants to at least stop it for now."

Star frowned sympathetically at the starving girl, then glanced at her arm and got an idea. She then grabbed her sword, swung it up, then spread her arm wide as it fell down.

Moments later, the knight grabbed her severed arm and threw it at Jackie, who's eyes opened wide and glew blue as Star said:

"Eat it and-"

But Jackie didn't even let Star finish before she started devouring the girl's torn limb like a wild animal, with the Father-Daughter looking horrified nearby, while Oskar looked at his sister with a concerned look.

"And she's only been on withdrawal for a day or so, at best," Oskar bemoaned.

Star promptly regenerated her arm, saying, "If that's how wild she eats after one day of withdrawal, I don't want to see what happens after a week."

Then, the knight noticed her father's horrified expression.

"I once regenerated a bullet hole during my visit to the police station, and I always wondered how that worked," Star explained as she moved her regenerated arm. "Since Mom's half Septarian, then I figured I inheritted their insane healing abilities, so-"

"Regenerating a limb is quite a leap from regenerating a bullet hole, though," River answered, forming a worried expression on his face.

"Oh please, Mom rips off her own tail and cooks it daily, and she always regrows it without even a hint of pain," Star argued in return. "At least, I assume that's the case, since I've never seen her in her Septarian form afterward."

And a few moments later, Jackie finished eating the arm, not even leaving bones behind... assuming there were bones, that is.

"Do you feel better now?" Star asked.

"A little bit..." Jackie sighed. "But I can't return to Echo Creek now. There's so many people there, that I'm worried about what'll happen if I get this hunger again."

"And she can't go back to the Pixie empire, either," Oskar added. "She already escaped it twice, and if she goes there again, there's a chance Mom will make sure she never leaves again."

Star scratched her chin, and once she got an idea, her eyes flashed Celena's eye color as she snapped her fingers, and opened a portal to somewhere...

 ** _Back at the Mewman Camp..._**

Eclipsa, Meteora, and Moon sat around the campfire, trying to heat themselves with the fire when a pigeon arrived.

A robotic messenger pigeon, at that.

"Oh hey, isn't that one of your messenger pigeons, Meteora?" Moon remarked. "I thought they were left behind at your regormatory."

Meteora raised a confused eyebrow. "They were."

"Then what's one of those things doing here?" Eclipsa questioned.

And moments before anything else was said, the pigeon's eyes lit up and created a screen, showcasing Star on the other side, her eyes now back to their natural Blue color.

"Hi, everybody!"

"Star?!" Moon shouted. "Where did you get one of these pigeons?!"

"Meteora's reformatory, duh," Star answered. "I opened a portal to there and "borrowed" one of them so I could deliver this message."

"By "borrowed," she really means she stole it," Eclipsa whispered to Moon.

"I know what she means by "borrowed," Eclipsa," the Half-Septarian sternly replied.

"Anyway, Mom, I'm delivering you a kid who's in desperate need of food," Star said. "I'm sorry if this is asking too much, but could you keep her fed while I deal with Febe?"

Moon scratched her chin and thought about it as Meteora and Eclipsa exchanged worried looks.

"There's already quite a lot of mouths to feed..." Moon remarked. "Star, how important is this child?"

"I'm sure Omnitraxus will kill everybody if anything happens to her," the knight of hearts casually answered. "Is that answer good enough for you? 'Cause I'm sending her right now."

"Omnitraxus?" Eclipsa repeated, suddenly getting an idea about the child's identity. "Wait, Star, are you talking about-!?"

Without warning, a red portal opened near the queen's bonfire, and from said portal jumped out Jackie, who hit the ground face-first.

"Andromeda!" Eclipsa screamed, before she turned to the holographic image and snapped, "Star, are you crazy!? There's no way we can keep this... thing, close to Mewmanity, let alone any sentient creature!"

"Oh please, Eclipsa; Omnitraxus has been your partner for centuries and has helped you so much, the least you could do is watch over his goddaughter," Star argued in return. "Besides, surely as the oldest queen alive, you know what she needs to eat, right?"

"Star, I've dealt with Pixies several times during my reign, I know exactly what she needs to eat in order to stay healthy," the Queen of Spades answered back. "But the thing she needs to eat is _precisely_ the reason we can't keep her here!"

"Well, she can't stay in Echo Creek, she can't stay on the Pixie empire, and she can't stay with the homeless Mewmans?" Star recapped, earning a stern nod from the queen. "Then where the hell is she supposed to stay, if I may ask you? Because I'm pretty sure Omnitraxus-"

"Don't talk about him like you had the slightest idea of how he works, Star!" Eclipsa snapped, gritting her teeth. "There's only one person who knows him beyond face value, and that's me, you understand!?"

"Regardless, I've already sent her to you, and I have more important things to do than figure out where to send her," Star smirked. "After all, Mom, Meteora, and also _you_ were the one who told me to keep an eye on Febe."

Eclipsa narrowed her eyes. "Don't you dare take that tone with me!"

Star waved goodbye. "Anyway, see ya! Good luck with Jackie!"

The pigeon's eyes stopped glowing, and not a second passed before Eclipsa shot a purple magic blast at the robotic bird, vaporizing it instantly.

"See what I mean when I say she got some of your bad traits, Moon?!" Eclipsa snapped at the Half-Septarian. "What other queen other than you has shown such audacity before!?"

"While I'll admit that what Star did was... unexpected and unwanted, there's no point questioning it now," Moon said as she helped Jackie stand up. "We got another mouth to feed, and I'll be the one to take care of it."

"Right, there's no need to discuss that," Eclipsa rolled her eyes. "You're the only one I can imagine who could fathom being next to Andromeda for longer than a day."

"Is Andromeda really that bad?" Meteora inquired.

"Do you want to hear what I know about her for your bedtime story?" Eclipsa threatened.

"I don't want to know."

"Exactly."

And so, the Mother-Daughter duo went to sleep, leaving Moon alone with the heavily-breathing Jackie, who she embraced in a hug as she said:

"Don't worry, Andromeda. I'll make sure you're not hungry."


	40. Star on Earth

**Okay, I took a break from writing, and now I'm back to the game. And what better way to return than post a new chapter of Wands of Destiny?**

 **Or as I like to call it, " _Star vs the Forces of Evil_ , with the pacing of _One Piece_ , the convoluted plot of _Kingdom Hearts_ , a clustermix of Jgss0109, infamixy, and MLP-TrailGrazer's Queens of Mewni AUs, and overpowered protagonists from Isekai Anime."**

 **What's that? It doesn't really fit any of those categories? Well, don't worry, I'll fix that soon. *cough*youcanpanicnow*cough***

 **And before any of you ask, no, the rest of the chapters aren't finished. The base for each chapter is more or less done, but I still have to write the rest of the story. So, yeah, there might be a little hiatus after this one chapter where very little happens.**

 **I'm good with schedules. XD**

 **Anyway, let's answer some reviews:**

 **1) Kuro Neko9695: No problem.**

 **2) Nobody245:**

 *** For the first part, it was revealed she's at least Half-Pixie with the revelation she's the Pixie Empress' daughter in the Invasion of Mewni arc. As for the second part, none of the rest of the Earth Four know. And yes, there's a reason why I only bring up those three.**

 *** Trust me, just because we didn't see it doesn't mean it didn't happen. Let's just say Festivia's gonna have a splittin' headache for a while.**

 *** I will work on developing that stuff, and the next few chapters can serve as your answer. Because really, better to show than tell, am I right?**

 *** There will be action a little bit later on, but not this chapter.**

 **And now, to the chapter!**

* * *

Back where we left off, the Father-Daughter duo bid farewell to Ludo and Oskar, and made their way to the entrance to Echo Creek, where they hid behind a dumpster once they got inside.

Once hidden, it wasn't long before Star turned around, and noticed the severely worried expression in her old man's face, something she wasn't very used to seeing.

"What's wrong, Dad? Why are you so worried?" Star asked, before she got an idea. "If it's about the fact you'll stand out looking at that, then undo the transformation before anybody sees you."

"That's not what I'm worried about, Star," River answered. "I mean, I am a little concerned that I have to get out of my combat ready form, but I accept that as a necessary evil."

"Then, are you worried about Jackie?" Star raised an eyebrow, and earned a nod from her father. "Look, I know Mewmanity doesn't take kind to strangers, especially not humans or maginuchs, but she's with Mom and Meteora, two of the most reasonable queens Mewni has had in milleniums. And even if Eclipsa was a problem, the fact that Jackie's the godchild of the Magic High Commission member she works with, guarantees that she'll be more civil towards her."

"That's only half of what I'm worried about, sweetheart," River sighed. "Listen, we've already seen the kind of issues the Pixie trait can bring on a hybrid: You may have satiated her hunger for now, somehow, but there's nothing stopping her from suffering another episode."

"I know that, but Mom can regenerate almost instantly thanks to her Septarian genes," Star replied. "Plus, there are Septarians in Royal Woods! If we can find one of them, we can try to convince them to help us keep her well fed."

"Star, no matter how I look at it, this can only end badly for everyone involved," River sighed. "And now that I think about it, why didn't you just call Omnitraxus so he'd pick her up?"

"I don't know where he is right now, let alone have an idea on how to contact with him," Star then remembered a certain someone, and took on a more agressive tone. "And besides, after what Hekapoo did to Marco-Sol, who knows what the rest of the Magic High Commission might do to their own godchildren!"

River took a deep breath. "Alright, I understand. So, what do we do now?"

"You'll turn back into your normal form, which should have no issue blending in with humanity since you don't have cheekmarks," the knight explained, which was followed by the man powering down. "Then, we'll separate: I'll go look for Febe, you'll go look for Mina."

"Alright, just one more question," River raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think Mina's here? Isn't she supposed to be hospitalized somewhere out there?"

"Knowing her, she probably recovered faster than expected and escaped the place," Star rolled her eyes. "Anyway, just look for her, alright?"

The king nodded, and the duo promptly separated and went on to look for their respective objectives.

Star still remained mostly in the shadows, however, making sure to check her surroundings just in case there were any humans nearby... but for some reason, the streets of Echo Creek were practically empty.

Even when she came out of the shadows and was out in the open, not a single person appeared.

"Huh, weird, I figured a human city would have at least a few people in the streets," the knight remarked as she looked around. "Why is this place deserted?"

"I think the real question is, who are you planning to put through the wringer this time?"

Star turned around to see the source of the voice, and gritted her teeth as she saw the one who said that was a familiar person:

It was Hekapoo, wearing a crimson cloak covering her whole body.

"I saw what you did with Andromeda, "Beautyfly," assuming that is who I'm taling to right now," Hekapoo stated, narrowing her eyes at the second part. "How "kind" of you to send Omnitraxus' goddaughter to your Mom, Eclipsa, and Meteora. I certainly don't doubt she'll be well fed over there."

"Go away, Hekapunk," Star hissed as she gripped her sword harder. "I know what I did, and I'm not going to let you mess with my head!"

"I'm not messing with your head, I'm telling you that what you did might look like a good thing on the short-term, but it could have disastrous consequences in the long-term," Hekapoo stated as she folded her arms. "And besides, do you really think you can do anything to me with your pitiful little sword? It's not even a copy of the blood moon sword, it's just an average Mewman sword."

"I knew I was being ripped off when the weaponsmith sold me this thing..." Star rolled her eyes, and turned back to the fiery redhead. "Anyway, stand back and-"

But she was already gone.

"Was that an illusion?" Star blurted, only to quickly shake off the thought. "Ugh, I don't have time to waste! I need to go find Febe!"

The knight put her sword back on its scabbard as she added, "And I believe I know where to look!"

 ** _Echo Creek Police Station..._**

Toffee took a sip of his coffee when one of his Monster co-workers walked up to him, and said:

"So, did you hear about what happened to Rasticore? One of the Queens of Mewni beat him up along with his squad, and pulverized him until he was reduced to an arm!"

"Yeah, I was told about that," the lizardman answered. "His arm was delivered to the station by the Children of Globgor after the whole fiasco was over."

"And he was a few days from retiring, too," the monster officer remarked, with the lizardman throwing a confused look at him, unable to tell if he was joking or not. "I wonder where he is right now?"

"Regenerating, slowly but surely, in the safest place on Echo Creek: The Diaz Household," Toffee sighed. "As much as I detest leaving a fellow Septarian with the boy known as Ubaldo, I can't deny that it's guaranteed he'll be able to fully regenrate uninterrupted there."

"Now that you said his name, you never really explained to me why you hate the kid's guts," the monster remarked, folding their arms. "Did something happen between you two?"

Toffee narrowed his eyes and looked elsewhere as he began remembering the faithful day he met Marco and his girls for the first time...

 ** _A long time ago, in Globgor's Tower..._**

 _Jackie and Janna leaned against each other's backs, with a group of Septarians surrounding them. The former having her fists covered in ice while the latter had her book open, with Alfonzo and Ferguson dealing with as many Septarians as they could, though this didn't help the girl's situation in the slightest._

 _As for Marco? He was down on the ground, unconscious._

 _Eventually, the forever-regenerating lizards proved stronger, beating the girls and grabbing them by their arms as Toffee himself walked to them, looking perfectly fine._

 _"You should've turned back while you had the chance, kids," he sternly told the girls as he leaned closer to them. "Nobody that's just started tends to get past the tenth level for a reason."_

 _"Oh, don't act so high and mighty, you overgrown iguana!" Janna spat, throwing a glare at Toffee._

 _"Yeah!" Jackie shouted. "The only reason you even beat us, is because you took out Marco first!"_

 _"But of course we took him out first, what else did you expect?" Toffee replied, folding his arms. "A Safe Kid has the duty of keeping their party members fully healed and stabilized. So, theoretically, as long as the Safe Kid manages to heal everybody in the party, and remove any illness that befalls to them, the party will have no problem walking out of very conflict alive."_

 _The lizardman narrowed his eyes. "At least, that's what foolish little children like you believe."_

 _Alfonzo and Ferguson tried to rush Toffee, but the humanoid lizard simply snatched Janna's book, and closed it, with the spirits being absorbed right back into it as he continued:_

 _"But the truth is, as soon as the Safe Kid is beaten, everything falls apart. It doesn't matter if you hold a grimoire capable of summoning spirits."_

 _Toffee threw the book away, with it landing and opening right next to Marco as the lizardman walked to Jackie._

 _"Or the ability to manipulate one of the elements."_

 _Then, he turned to face the unconscious boy._

 _"Or even the blessing of the king of monsters himself."_

 _After looking at him with disappointment for a while, Toffee turned back to the girls._

 _"Once somebody knows who's the one keeping the party alive and kicking, they'll go through heaven and hell to incapacitate them. And it's your job, to make sure that doesn't happen-"_

 _Suddenly, Janna's book flew straight to Toffee's head, though the lizardman managed to catch it before it could hit him._

 _After that, the lizardman and the girls turned to face the direction the book was thrown, and saw Marco weakly standing with his arm stretched forward, and Ferguson and Alfonzo helping him stay up._

 _"Leave... them... alone..." he weakly growled._

 _"Hmph, I had a feeling you were going to get up sooner or later," Toffee glanced at the Septarians. "Take care of him."_

 _Some of the Septarians nodded and ran towards Marco, with them jumping and piling up on him, with a pair of them making sure the spirits wouldn't go help him._

 _However, the humanoid lizards barely managed to keep him at bay for a moment before they were send flying by Marco, now with fiery electricity surging through him._

 _"I said..." Marco slowly lifted his head. "Leave... them..."_

 _Then, he snapped up, revealing his eyes were glowing a green color as he yelled:_

 _"Alone!"_

 _The boy shot a familiar beam from his eyes, and Toffee barely registered what happened before he was struck with it, and everything went blank..._

 ** _Back in the Present..._**

"Yes, and let's leave it at that."

Suddenly, everybody heard the doors being opened, and they turned to look at the one who opened it: Star, who took a look around as Toffee narrowed his eyes and whispered to his colleague:

"Make sure the cameras are on, just in case something happens."

The monster nodded and left to check that stuff, while Star walked up to the lizardman and asked:

"Good evening, good sir!"

"I have a name, you know? It's Toffee," the lizardman sternly answered. "And I'll ask you what did you come here for."

"Right, figured you'd say it sooner or later. So, where's Fe-" Star hesitated, then corrected herself. "Mrs. Diaz?"

"She's not working today," Toffee bluntly answered. "She cut off two of her fingers due to... something, so she was sent back home to recover. I'm covering for her, though, so if you needed to see her for anything in particular, you can talk to me."

"Hmm... well, not that you mention it, I do need help with something," Star said as she sat down. "It doesn't really have anything to do with crime, though... maybe-"

"I will direct you to literally anywhere else in the city," the lizardman stated.

"Yeah, but only a Septarian can help me with this!" Star whined. "They're the only ones who could survive Andromeda's hunger!"

Toffee's eyes widened and he immediately covered the knight's mouth, before he took a quick look around to verify nobody had heard her whining.

Once he made sure nobody was suspicious, he took a deep breath and explained:

"Nobody in this town knows the true identity of the Great Magical Godchildren; The only one whose identity has been confirmed is Marco, the other three are still unverified! If they find out you know the identity of one of them, they'll squeeze you until you spill those beans!"

And once Star's mouth was uncovered, she asked, "Are the Great Magical Godchildren a great source of buzz around here?"

"The godchildren of the four most powerful Great Magical Ones, who once ruled all of existence?" Toffee rolled his eyes. "No, they're totally small fries compared to Bon Bon the Undead Clown."

Star frowned. "I can do without the sarcasm, sir."

"Anyway, now that you mentioned her, I need to ask you about her," Toffee stated, before he looked around. "But that will have to be left for later, there's too much people around here."

Star looked around and nodded in agreement. "So, where can I find Fe-Mrs. Diaz?"

"She was sent back home, so try looking there first," Toffee sighed. "Don't be surprised, however, if you're met with heavy resistance. The Diazes have been through quite a lot lately, and considering her status, Mrs. Diaz needs to live as stress-free as possible right now."

"Understood, I'll try to not surprise her too much," Star stood up. "Thanks a lot... uh..."

"Toffee," the lizardman answered. "And you're..."

"Star Butterfly," Star answered. "Anyway, thanks for the help, sir!"

"No problem," Toffee answered, looking at the girl head to the door before he smiled and said, "See you later, "granddaughter."

Star stopped on her tracks, believing she heard Toffee calling her granddaughter, but she quickly shook off the thought, and left.

 ** _Meanwhile, at the Diaz Household..._**

Rafael and Solaria entered the woman's bedroom, the former holding a tray of food while the latter clasped her hands with a concerned look.

"Hello, sweetheart," Rafael said as he delivered the food to his wife. "Are you feeling better?"

Angie slightly leaned up and sighed, "Yeah, a little bit."

"So, sweetie, what do you say we go out for a little relaxing work around the city, after you take your nap, of course?" Solaria suggested, earning a raised eyebrow from her daughter. "It's been a long while since I was here, so I'm wondering how many things have changed."

"Well, for one, there are quite a few monsters walking around and living among us," Angie pointed out. "And last time I checked, you hate monsters so much, it was _your_ spell that Celena used to supposedly get rid of them."

"That's the key sentence: _Celena_ used my spell to get rid of them," Solaria pointed out. "Besides, I created the spell before I found out the harsh truth behind monsterkind and-"

Suddenly, the trio heard somebody knock the door, which Rafael responded to. "I'll go answer."

The man walked downstairs, and once he opened the door, he found none other than Star waiting outside.

And just a few seconds later, Star was on Angie and Rafael's bedroom, sitting on the floor while drinking a cup of tea.

"Are you sure you're comfortable sitting on the floor, Star?" Rafael inquired. "I can go get you a chair from downstairs if you'd like."

"No, it's okay," the knight answered. "I was always told to sit on the floor when I got in trouble, so I'm used to it."

"Okay, so anyway, to recap," Mrs. Diaz remarked, taking a sip of her coffee before she continued. "While Mewmanity's camping on one of the dimensions, and still looking fir a place to establish a new Mewni, the rest of the Council of Queens asked you to come here to Earth, in order to see how I was doing?"

"That's very much the gist of it," Star nodded.

"And we were just planning to try and help Angie relax today," Solaria bemoaned, shaking her head.

"Yeah, I had a feeling I was coming at a bad time, but I was worried about what would happen if I didn't come here soon enough," Star took a deep breath. "After all, considering everything that's happened and your current state..."

"You're talking about the darkness across my body, right?" Angie asked as she slightly removed her bandages, revealing the dark marks across her body before she covered them again. "You don't really have to worry about that now: It's reached the stage where the only thing left for me to do before it takes over is suffer some sort of breakdown, but everything has been peaceful so far around here."

Then, as she tightly tied them up, she stated:

"However, I'm pretty sure that if I leave, the breakdown is more or less guaranteed to happen. So, I'm not going anywhere, sorry."

"Oh, don't worry, I have no intention of taking you out of this city," the knight of hearts answered. "However, I do have the intention of helping you relax, now that I'm here. And just like you, I'm not going anywhere, sorry."

Mrs. Diaz hummed as Rafael and Solaria exchanged raised eyebrows.

"Well," the woman said. "There is one thing you could help me with."

"Really?!" Star chirped. "What is it?! I promise you, Your Highness, I'll do my best to help you no matter what it is!"

"Okay, first, stop calling me Your Highness or Your Majesty or all those other queenly titles," Angie sternly stated. "Second, and this is what I need your help with: Lately, one of the members of the Magic High Commission has decided to act as a "protector" of sorts to Brittney, and by extension Jackie, Marco, and Janna."

"Oh, you're talking about Lekmet, right?" Star inquired. "Well, I know he's pretty protective, and heck, out of the entire commission, he's the most trustworthy one. But, is there something about him that worries you?"

"Star, I don't know if you'd understand, but I see all three of those girls as my daughters, even if the one Lekmet's there for, Brittney, never really saw me as a mother figure," Angie sighed. "Anyway, no matter how I look at it, I'm not comfortable with the idea of a stranger I barely know hanging around them, even if he has the besti ntentions."

Mrs. Diaz looked at the ceiling. "I'm especially worried about him, you know? After everything he's been through, he's in a delicate state, especially with everything that he needs to process."

"Yeah, I can understand," Star rested her cheek on her palm. "Lekmet must've taken quite a-"

"Lekmet? Who cares about Lekmet? I'm talking about Marco!" Mrs. Diaz answered, rolling her eyes. "Lekmet can entropy himself for all I care."

"Angie!" Rafael exclaimed in shock.

Solaria, though, laughed out loud. "That's my girl!"

Star, just as shocked as Rafael, blinked twice just as the woman added:

"S-Sorry, I remembered Lekmet was part of the Magic High Commission, and ever since Hekapoo did her thing, I'm seriously uncomfortable with the idea of one of their members being so close to him."

Star looked away and narrowed her eyes. "Yeah, I know the feeling. Though you might want to be more blunt next time you talk about him."

Then, she chirped up and turned back to the woman. "So, all you want me to do is keep an eye on Marco? What if people find it weird?"

"Tell whoever asks that I asked you to do it," Mrs. Diaz answered. "And if they don't stop asking questions then, tell them that another question will send them right here."

Star raised an eyebrow. "How's that going to-"

Then she looked at Rafael, the champion of Globgor supposedly, then Solaria, one of the strongest queens of Mewni, and finally Angie, who was not only another Mewman queen, but was etching ever closer to turning into a monster.

"Well, that answers my own question," Star said as she stood up. "So, where are they right now?"

"They went to the dojo to show Lekmet what martial arts were," Rafael answered, scratching the back of his head as he added, "At least, that's what Marco told me a while ago."

"Got it! Thanks!"

So the knight stormed out of the house and began looking for her new objective: Marco. At least, she looked for him until she started taking heavy breaths, forcing her to stop at the park to rest.

Guess running around everywhere was both exhausting and irritating, huh?

The girl sat down on a bench next to a pond, where a voice spoke:

"Going to see Sol, huh?"

Star looked around, believing Hekapoo was somewhere nearby. Then she noticed the voice came from the pond, and that was enough to convince her it couldn't be her: The pond would've been evaporated if she had been there.

Once she saw who the voice was, however, she immediately wished it had been Hekapoo instead.

"Celena?!" Star exclaimed at the reflection in the body of water, which showed not her, but the High Queen herself. "I thought you were gone after that ritual or whatever the council did on you!"

"Ha! If it was that easy to get rid of the Mewman _High Queen_ , then all of Mewmanity would've gone extinct by now!" Celena scoffed. "Besides, you were created specifically to act as a beacon for my revival. As long as you "live," I'll be able to come back."

Star narrowed her eyes and gritted her teeth. "Skip the information I already know, and tell me what are you doing here!"

"I just wanted to congratulate you for giving Mewmanity access to one of the Great Magical Godchildren, especially one who's in a weakened state," Celena smirked. "Now all that's left is for Eclipsa to work her magic, and it'll be one less pest to worry about."

"Which reminds me, why _are_ the Great Magical Godchildren such big threats to you, anyway?" Star asked, raising an eyebrow. "I know, dumb question, especially since the Magic High Commission are their godparents, but shouldn't _they_ be the bigger issue?"

"In the past, they were, but nowadays they can be easily kept at bay," the High Queen answered. "Not so much their godchildren, who, as you've most likely seen by now, are immune to fate."

Celena's contorted with disgust. "And it's all thanks to their damn humanity."

Star tilted her head in confusion, prompting the High Queen to explain:

"Humanity has always been a thorn in the omnipresent buttocks of destiny: Even back when Glossaryck was the being in charge of it, there was nothing he could do to force a human to do something. Sure, he could set a beginning, he could _maybe_ set an end, but everything else was completely beyond his control."

Star raised an eyebrow, as Celena continued with a tone of horror:

"Think about it: The very being that once controlled all of existence, magical creature and Great Magical One alike, could do nothing to force fate onto a single human. All he could do was watch as things happened without his input; Humans dying earlier than expect, later than expected, doing things he never even wrote about, it was like he was the victim of the playtime of beings he couldn't control, instead of the other way around!"

Then, the High Queen calmed down, and smiled:

"So, that's where you come in-"

"Oh no, I'm not going to be your puppet this time!" Star snapped, stomping the ground. "I may have been created with the purpose of being your plaything, but I'm not going to let you use me like one anymore!"

Celena smirked. "Oh really? Then, I guess you throwing Andromeda onto the hands of your "mother," Meteora, and Eclipsa was your own doing?"

Star, realizing what this meant, raised her sword and swung it down the river, causing the water to ripple and destroy Celena's reflection. Said reflection turned back into Star's once she took out the sword and the water turned back to normal.

However, despite now knowing her mistake, Star had a new order: Protect Marco somehow.

"It's too late to tell Mom and the rest what happened, but they should be able to handle her just fine."

Then she remembered Eclipsa was also there.

"Oh god, I hope they keep her as far away from Eclipsa as possible."

Star took a deep breath, hit herself in the cheeks, and stated:

"Alright, I got a mission: Find Marco, and make sure he's fine."

Her anger quelled and energy restored for now, Star sternly resumed her search for the dojo, Celena's laughter faintly being heard in the background.


	41. Jackie Versus Eclipsa

**So, I was lucky enough to be able to finish another chapter of this story for this Friday, so I decided to update it in order to celebrate the occassion.**

 **Don't worry, I do have another chapter ready for next Friday too.**

 **Anyway, I'm going to tell you now that in the next few chapters, we'll finally find out what happened to the diamond fragment, and what will happen to it by the end of around chapter fifty-something.**

 **Will that be the end of this story? Hello no, I already have a revelation planned that will make this story last a good while. Plus, with Star vs. presumably ending this year, I might as well keep this story going so you'll have something to read about the Butterfly family, and the humans too.**

 **You'll keep up with the story, right?**

 ***Crickets chirping***

 **Let's just get to the reviews:**

 **1) lelcar: That... is a very scary thought indeed.**

 **2) Nobody245: Phase 1 complete, then. Time to begin Phase 2.**

 **And now, to the chapter!**

* * *

Back at the Mewman camp, Jackie sat on a log next to Moon, eating a bowl full of diced Septarian tail.

And judging by Moon's exhausted eye bags, and both Meteora and Eclipsa's concerned looks, it was obvious where the tail came from.

"It tastes good, doesn't it?" Moon asked, earning a nod from the teenager. "I don't like to brag, but my Septarian meals are often considered the second best dishes in Mewni."

Jackie raised an eyebrow. "What're the first?"

"My Mom's version of the meals," Moon answered, frowning as she added, "I somehow haven't been able to find a way to replicate them in thousand years."

Hearing that, Jackie took another bite out of her food before she remembered something, causing her to put the bowl down and ask:

"Okay, so, let me try to get this right: I'm currently in a camp filled with Mewmans?"

Moon nodded. "More specifically, you're in the little spot reserved for the council of queens in the camp the surviving Mewmans set up in this dimension. And don't worry, nobody else knows you're here."

"Alright then," Jackie took a deep breath and grabbed her head. "I'm sorry if I'm asking too much, but my head felt extremely light until just a few minutes ago, and last thing I remember, I was in Echo Creek."

"Well, you most certainly were there before, but it seems something happened that made you feel... well, lightheaded," Meteora explained, gently hitting her mother to signal her to hide as she added, "So, Star gave you something to eat, took you here, and then Moon here gave you some more food just in case."

Just then, Jackie realized something. "Wait a minute, was I brought here by a blonde girl with heart cheekmarks and a horned headband?"

"Well, Star's cheekmarks turned into their real form after she discovered she wasn't the real Queen of Hearts," Moon explained, scratching her chin. "But yeah, everything else fits her description."

Jackie's eyes grew wide and she put her hand on her forehead. "No wonder that girl back on Earth looked so familiar! I saw her once at the police station!"

"So, Star actually got in trouble with the police?" Eclipsa asked, resting her cheek on her palm and rolling her eyes. "Well, I guess even good kids have their bad days."

Hearing that, Jackie threw an exasperated look at the woman's face, only to recognize her immediately and throw her plate of food at her, with Eclipsa casually smacking it away with a giant arm made of black magic, hissing:

"Is there a problem, child?"

"Yeah, and that problem is you!" Jackie snapped, pointing at the queen as she added, "You're the Mewman who attacked the Diaz house a long time ago!"

"Geez, that was forever ago, kid, and a lot of far more important things have happened since then," Eclipsa remarked, rolling her eyes and waving her hand with a dismissive manner. "Can't you get over it already?"

"Get over it?!" Jackie snapped, causing the floor underneath her to freeze. "You assaulted the place I call home! You attacked Mrs. Diaz, my friends, and my boyfriend, and you want me to get over it?!"

"Yes, that's exactly what "get over it" means, child!" Eclipsa sternly replied, clenching her fist. "Our kingdom is gone, our people are in the middle of looking for a new place, and you're starting to show Pixie withdrawal symptoms! Me attacking your house sometime ago means nothing right now!"

"Alright, you two, stop fighting!" Meteora said as she and Moon grabbed and held back Eclipsa and Jackie respectively. "If you start fighting here, you're going to get the attention of the Mewmans!"

Hearing that, Jackie took a deep breath and calmed down as the hybrid queens stood up.

"Now, we're going to go see if there are any living creatures nearby to cook themso Moon can have somthing to eat," Meteora stated, earning a surprised look from Moon, who she told, "You've already lost too much blood from cooking your tail earlier."

"Oh, I see," Moon then turned back to the duo. "A-As for you two, stay right here, we'll be back soon."

With that said, the hybrid queens left the pair, with Meteora grabbing Moon's hand and helping her stay stable as they left.

And once they were out of sight, Jackie glared at Eclipsa and muttered:

"I'm not staying anywhere near you! I'd rather go back home right now!"

"Sorry, kid, but Star dumped you here with us, so you're _our_ problem now," Eclipsa stated. "Besides, who knows how long it'll be before your next hunger episode strikes? You might as well be next to people that can actually fight back when that happens!"

Jackie put on a pouty face, folded her arms and looked away from Eclipsa, with the queen doing the same a few moments later.

Which only made Meteora and Moon grow more and more concerned.

"I can already tell those two aren't going to get along anytime soon," Moon whispered to the Hybrid Queen, who sadly nodded in agreement. "And considering the Magic High Commission member that's Andromeda's godparent, that's certainly not a good thing."

"Now that you mention him, do you think he's seeing this from wherever he is?" Meteora inquired, taking a moment to look around for any living creatures. "I mean, being the master of time and space, you'd think he'd see what's going on and try to step in or something."

"And in fact, I do."

The hybrids flinched and turned around to see Omnitraxus prime emerge from seemingly nowhere, looking like a portal with a head.

"How long have you been there?" Meteora asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Long enough to see the situation between Eclipsa and Andromeda," Omnitraxus answered with a sigh. "And I'm just going to be perfectly blunt with you: If they're left on their own like this, they'll turn into mortal enemies."

"Great, Mom doesn't have enough of those," Meteora rolled her eyes.

"Is there anything you can do to stop that?" Moon inquired.

"Well, I'm not allowed to interfere in the development and daily life of Andromeda, at least not anymore," Omnitraxus explained, glancing at the enraged space-time duo as he added, "But, I can at least try to get them, mostly Andromeda, on decent terms."

Moon frowned. "And do you think it'll work?"

"The only one of us who can actually choose what'll happen next is Andromeda herself, but she can be somewhat influenced just as everybody else," Omnitraxus answered, lowering his head as he added, "I just hope that the destiny set out for them doesn't end the way it was written."

With that statement, Meteora asked, "What do you mean by that?!"

Omnitraxus fell silent, and left without giving the hybrid queen an answer, leaving Moon to calm her down.

And surely enough, once his presence was made known, both Eclipsa and Jackie stopped their argument and turned to look at him.

"Hey, you're also seeing the galactic portal with a face and a bunch of swords floating above it, right?" Jackie asked, earning a nod from the queen. "Also, do you know who this is?"

"Normally I'd expect you to know who he is already, but I get the feeling that's not the case," Eclipsa sighed, pointing at the living portal as she said, "Andromeda, this is Omnitraxus Prime, Great Magical Being of Space and Time, and your godfather."

"So, my godfather is a living portal?" Jackie remarked, raising an eyebrow. "What kind of interdimensional miracle did you and Mom have to do in order to give birth to me?"

"I said _godfather_ ," Eclipsa corrected, before she explained, "He witnessed your birth and was involved in your initial development: He didn't actually screw someone to give birth to you."

Then she turned to Omnitraxus. "Anyway, what are you doing here?!"

"I saw how you two were having... a little heated discussion earlier," Omnitraxus answered. "So, in order to stop this from turning into a rivalry, or even worse, mutual hatred, I'm going to take Andromeda elsewhere to try and see if she accepts to try and be civil with you."

"My name's Jackie!" the teenager snapped.

"You can't just whisk her away where we can't follow!" Eclipsa snapped, stomping the ground. "Star, for whatever reason, left Andromeda to us so she could be our problem! I mean, I agree you'd be-"

"Eclipsa, I'm sorry, but I'm _telling_ you I'm taking Andromeda with me, not _asking_ you if I can do it," Omnitraxus replied, casually flying past the woman as he added, "Wait here for a moment, okay? I'll just talk to her for a bit."

Eclipsa stood still, shocked that Omnitraxus wasn't clear about that to begin with, and then she turned around to see him grab Jackie and throw her into his stomach.

"Did..." Eclipsa uttered as Meteora and Moon joined her. "Did you just eat her?"

"Oh no, I just transported her into my pocket dimension: You know, the one inside my stomach? That one," Omnitraxus explained, waving his hand. "She's still alive, don't worry about that."

This didn't stop the queens from exchanging concerned looks.

 ** _Omnitraxus' Dimension..._**

Jackie landed on her feet on top of a crystalline platform, with a flat top and a couple protrusions underneath.

Surrounding her were several other similar shards, except that instead of showing a flat reflective top, the top, while reflective, also showed images of alternate versions of Jackie: A demon Jackie, a male Jackie, a full Pixie Jackie-this one getting a disgusted reaction from the girl-and so on.

And then Omnitraxus arrived, proclaiming:

"This, Andromeda, is my domain-"

Jackie groaned, bringing the explanation to a halt as she ranted:

"Why do you keep calling me Andromeda? Why do the Mewmans keep calling me Andromeda?! My name is Jackie! I told them, I told you just a minute ago, and yet they still refuse to call me that! I have enough trouble trying to figure out who I'm supposed to be!"

The sentient galaxy wrapped his arms around the girl. "Andromeda, calm down-"

"Stop calling me Andromeda!" Jackie screamed, taking a deep breath and shedding a few tears as she added, "I wanna be Jackie... I just wanna be Jackie, please..."

Omnitraxus took a deep breath and cleaned the girl's tears with his fingers. "An... Jackie, trust me, I'd love to call you by the name you're more comfortable with. But I've been calling you Andromeda for thousands of years, it's not something I can just change as easily as you think."

"How can you have been calling me that for thousands of years?" Jackie pointed out, flabbergasted at the implication. "I'm only sixteen!"

Omnitraxus took a deep breath. "Things aren't so simple, kid. You may be sixteen in Earth years, but several dimensions, including this one, have different time properties to Earth."

Jackie raised an eyebrow, then sat down as she said:

"Okay, so, I'm actually ancient in some dimensions, but only a teenager on Earth? That's another thing to add to the list of things I'm going to have to process on my own. Great, no, perfect, just what I needed."

Seeing the girl was only getting more stressed the more he talked, the sentient galaxy changed the topic:

"Andro... Jackie, I brought you here primarily to try and help you feel more... comfortable, with your current situation. If you tell me what's bothering you, I'll do everything in my power to help you."

Jackie hummed as she thought about it, taking long enough for Omnitraxus to take a guess:

"Is it the Mewmans?"

"No: right now, the only one I really hate is Eclipsa. With every other Mewman, I prefer the "I don't trust you" stance."

"Alright, we're making some progress," Omnitraxus folded his arms. "Now, if I were to ask you to try and get on friendly terms with her, how would you do it?"

Jackie rolled her eyes. "Through the only way a Mewman makes relationships: Fighting."

Omnitraxus frowned. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Hey, Mewmanity's the one who decided to be warmongers, I had nothing to do with the way their culture works," Jackie answered as she cracked her knuckles. "Besides, I'm pretty sure if we were to engage in a little fight, Eclipsa and I would both release enough frustration to at least tolerate each other."

"Jackie, I'm going to be honest with you: After a great war that ended with the destruction of the kingdom they've lived in for thousands of years, I'm not entirely sure if any Mewman, let alone the queens, are up for another fight that could lead to disastrous consequences," the sentient galaxy stated. "Do you really not want to reconsider your decision?"

"Well, how about you ask Eclipsa if she's up for it?" the teenager asked, folding her arms. "Because I really doubt she'll be willing to listen to me."

The galaxy took a deep breath. "Alright, let's return to the camp and see if we can reach an agreement."

Jackie stood up, and holding Omnitraxus' hand, left the dimension, surprising the queens.

"So, how did it go?" Eclipsa asked.

"She is willing to consider being civil towards you," Omnitraxus said, pausing before he added, with a concerned look, "But she wants to fight you first."

"Ha! She? Fight me? She knows how outmatched she is, right?" Eclipsa scoffed, pointing at Jackie as she added, "Just because she's a Great Magical Godchild doesn't mean she can beat a patron of the Dark Gallery!"

"See? This is the reason why I suggested the battle in the first place," Jackie answered, shrugging with a condescending look as she added, "Her ego's so desperate, so damaged because of the fall of Mewni, she'll accept the fight just to try and regain some of her dignity by fighting me!"

Upon hearing this, Omnitraxus, Meteora, and Moon left the area and hid among the bushes, with the duo of Eclipsa and Jackie exchanging glares with each other, though Eclipsa's glare was also mixed with curiosity.

"Omnitraxus, what happened?!" Meteora asked. "Didn't you say you were going to try to calm her down?!"

"I did, but she suggested the fight, and told me to ask Eclipsa if she was up for it," Omnitraxus answered. "I wasn't expecting either of them to react the way they did."

"Now that you mention it, did Andromeda use to act like that when she was under your care?" Moon inquired, putting a hand on her cheek.

"No, she was cool and collected, calm and patient, and would always think before she said anything that could get her or her siblings in trouble," Omnitraxus explained, generating a hand from his portal to scratch his skeletal chin as he added, "But now, it seems her personality's done a complete 180 ever since her Pixie traits came to light."

Moon hummed. "Andromeda's the daughter of the Pixie Empress... one of the few magical beings with the ability to corrupt someone... do you think-"

"We can leave that discussion for later," Meteora said, waving her hand in a dismissive manner. "For now, we need to focus on making sure Andromeda and Eclipsa don't destroy the whole forest."

And so, the queens returned back to Eclipsa and Jackie, who were not just staring at each other. But while Jackie stared at Eclipsa with an amused look, Eclipsa seemed more... intrigued? Almost as if she could see something beyond the girl's smug look.

"Okay, you two, I'm going to teleport you to a different part of the forest," Omnitraxus explained, getting the duo's attention. "Once your fight is finished, we'll return back to the camp, got it?"

The pair nodded, and with a snap of his fingers, Omnitraxus teleported everyone into a block-shaped part of the forest, with a large body of water nearby, no doubt needed for Jackie to use her magic.

And as Eclipsa turned to look at it, Jackie raised her arm, summoned a whip of water, and tried to attack Eclipsa with it, only for the woman to wave her arm, summoning a giant dark arm that swiped the whip away.

"You know, I can understand you hating me so much that you would do anything to attack, maybe even kill me," Eclipsa said as she turned back to the girl. "But you could at least wait until Omnitraxus says the match has started, right?"

"Hmph, and you're one to talk?" Jackie scoffed, shrugging and summoning two giant arms of water as she asked, "Be honest, you would've done the same thing if you were in my position, right?"

Eclipsa narrowed her eyes and refused to answer.

"Alright, ready..." Omnitraxus raised his arm, then swung it down. "Go!"

With the match now officially started, Jackie swung her arms and made the giant water arms clench their fists and head straight for Eclipsa, who simply opened a dark portal beneath her and went through it before the arms squashed her.

She came out of the other side, and promptly kicked Jackie into the water while she was stunned by the action.

Then, she turned around and saw with a stern look as Jackie raised the water and formed a pillar, from which several fists of water came out, split from it, then solidified into ice fists before Jackie sent them flying towards the queen at high speeds, with the pillar and Jackie falling down soon afterwards.

Eclipsa, meanwhile, simply jumped away from the ice fists' trajectory, causing them to crash on the ground and shatter into bits, with the queen not having any notable injuries by the end of their onslaught.

Then, the remaining shards liquified back into water and returned to the pond, where Jackie raised it high enough to practically create a tsunami, ready to take down the queen.

And Eclipsa? She opened several portals behind her, and summoned several giant dark arms that, once she extended her arm forward, grabbed the wave and pushed it back into the body of water, before disintegrating to reveal Eclipsa holding Jackie by the throat, with the teenager hitting her as hard as she could as the queen said:

"Last time we fought, you needed help from Febe, her husband, and even Meteora in order to take me down!"

Then, she gently put the girl down and put her hands on her shoulders.

"I can buy that you'd grow stronger since then. But what I don't buy..."

Eclipsa clutched Jackie's shoulders and reeled back.

"Is that you'd grow strong enough to beat me!"

The Queen of Spades headbutted Jackie hard enough to send her flying all across the body of water, and then submerged right at the end after crashing on a desolate island and sliding down.

Eclipsa didn't come out completely unscathed, however, since blood started coming down her forehead and the woman began losing her balance, prompting Meteora to run to her side.

"Mom! Are you okay?!" the hybrid queen exclaimed.

"Hmph, the battle's already over, and the only damage Andromeda did to me was something I really did to myself," Eclipsa took a deep breath. "My ego is fine, but my body isn't."

"Omnitraxus, I think it's time you end the match," Moon told the sentient galaxy, who was looking with worry at the island where Jackie fell. "It's clear Eclipsa won this time."

Omnitraxus lowered his head and sighed:

"The winner of the match is-"

"Don't you dare say anything yet!"

The ground shook as the island far away was swallowed whole by a draconic being made of water, who then flew up and looked down at the queens and Omnitraxus, before lowering its head to reveal Jackie standing on top of it, sporting a malicious look as she exclaimed:

"Not until I've shattered this ladybug's ego and spread it across the floor!"

"She's still conscious after that headbutt?!" Moon exclaimed, taking a step back. "Actually, nevermind that, she can still put up a fight even after that?!"

"Of course she's still up," Eclipsa said as she released herself from Meteora's grasp and took a couple steps forward. "What else do you expect from a Great Magical Godchild?"

Eclipsa took a couple steps forward, and snapped her fingers, causing a portal to emerge in front of her and summon a giant butterfly-moth-dragon hybrid monster from the ground, with Eclipsa jumping on it before it flew up and headed straight for the water dragon.

Moon promptly transformed into her "Lizardfly" form and followed Eclipsa, with Omnitraxus and Meteora following her afterwards.

The ensuing battle between the dragons mostly consisted of them clashing with each other, with Jackie freezing the dragon's head so it wouldn't be destroyed upon contact. After a couple headbutts, Eclipsa turned to look at Moon and Meteora, before throwing nods at them.

Omnitraxus raised an eyebrow at what she was doing, but then got an idea when Meteora and Moon returned the nod. This was followed by Moon flying around the dragon's head, acting as a distraction to Jackie, before Meteora joined in, opening portals left and right and jumping through them to briefly hit Jackie, then escape, adding another pest for her to deal with.

As this happened, Eclipsa made her dark dragon fly as high up as it could, before she raised her arms high and transformed the dragon into a large ball of dark energy, which she then shot at Jackie while she was still busy with Moon and Meteora.

This culminated in Moon and Meteora both leaving Jackie moments before the ball hit her and her dragon, enveloping them in an explosion that ended in a spades-shaped mushroom cloud.

And the only thing Omnitraxus did was watch, horrified.

Shortly after that, Jackie fell face-first back on the ground, with the queens returning just as she got up, with Eclipsa taking a step forward before she said:

"Alright, Oberon, you've had your fun! Now get the hell out of Andromeda's body and let her fight her own battles!"

Upon hearing the name Oberon, the remaining queens and Omnitraxus turned to look at Jackie, who chuckled as she lifted her head, revealing her eyes were the same as the Pixie Empress as she said:

"So, the gist is up, huh?"

Eclipsa narrowed her eyes as the possessed Jackie stretched and continued speaking:

"You know, out of the current queens, I expected you to be the one to figure out my neat little trick. However, I thought you'd only figure it out after the fight had ended."

Jackie-Oberon tilted her head. "So, what gave away my little trick?"

"Are you for real? It may have been a while ago, but I still remember how Andromeda used to look like before Star dumped her on us," Eclipsa answered. "Human skin, blonde hair with a watery highlight, and eyes the color of the interdimensional sea."

Jackie-Oberon rolled her eyes as the woman continued:

"Then, when Star dumps her on us, she has purple hair, blue skin, and similarly blue eyes?"

Eclipsa put her hands on her hips and glared at the possessed child.

"I don't know if your species know about the concept of subtlety, but it's clear you didn't even bother being subtle about her possession."

"Perhaps, but that doesn't change the fact that this battle has helped me realize just what my sweet little child is capable of," Jackie-Oberon shrugged, summoning two more giant arms of water in the process. "Really, I'm quite proud of the fact I gave birth to such a powerful being, I could even get away with saying that she might be even stronger than your own daughter, Eclipsa."

Eclipsa refused to answer, and instead walked towards the possessed girl as their boasting continued:

"What? Cat got your tongue? Or are you finally processing the fact that there's someone in the universe stronger than your daughter, and she doesn't belong to you?"

Eclipsa's vein nearly popped at the last statement, but instead, she snapped her fingers and dark chains popped next to Jackie-Oberon and binded her wrists, before forcing them to lower her arms, causing the water arms to dissipated back into water.

"Let me be blunt: I don't like the Great Magical Godchildren. In fact, you could say I loathe them with my whole being," Eclipsa said as she finally reached the girl. "But if there's one thing I can agree with everyone else, is that they're living beings, not anybody's property, nor an object to be: And they have every right to choose who they belong to, if they want to belong to anyone at all."

Eclipsa glared right into Jackie-Oberon's eyes, and hissed as she grabbed the necklace:

"This includes Andromeda, you ignorant little bug! And you have no right to claim her as your own!"

"W-Wait, Eclipsa, what are you doing?!" Jackie-Oberon exclaimed.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm taking away the thing that gives her hydrokinesis!" the Queen of Spades proclaimed. "Let's see if you can still claim you know strong Andromeda is, without her main powers!"

Eclipsa snapped the necklace right out of Jackie's neck, and this caused the girl's eyes to dilute until they outright disappeared, followed by her hair and skin color turning back to normal as she fell on her knees, and hit the ground.

Just as Eclipsa checked the necklace, however, Jackie started taking very heavy breaths as her arms, legs, basically her whole body started to thin up, for some reason, until the girl basically looked skeletal.

Then, she gathered enough strength to pull herself up, and looked up at Eclipsa, flashing empty, glowing eyes as she hissed like some kind of rabid animal.

The queens and Omnitraxus quickly noticed this, and Meteora and Moon backed away while Omnitraxus uttered "Oh god" in shock.

"W-Wait, what's going on?" Eclipsa remarked, taking a couple steps back. "W-Wasn't she relatively well-toned before? Why is she skeletal now?"

Then, she came to a horrifying conclusion. "Wait... don't tell me-"

Suddenly, Jackie snapped and lunged straight for Eclipsa, only for Moon to get between them and swing her tail at the teenager, who bit it and ripped it off like it was a piece of paper.

The ensuing movement from the tail didn't stop the girl from eating it as savagely as she could, while Eclipsa helped the dizzy Moon stay up.

"Moon, are you okay?!" the Queen of Spades asked. "You already lost your tail to give her something to eat earlier, losing it again so quickly can't be good for your health!"

"Eim fien!" Moon slurred. "Jusht a lettle dishy, that's al."

"Yeah, you should better go back to the camp and rest," Eclipsa said, giving Moon to Meteora before she fixed the necklace, adding, "And Febe should better explain herself if we ever meet again."

"Do you know what's going on with Andromeda, Mom?" Meteora asked.

"The form you just saw is how she actually looks," Omnitraxus answered, explaining thus, "You see, since Pixies require sentient flesh in order to satiate their hunger, and Andromeda being far bigger than them means she requires more flesh, it means that the longer she goes without eating it, the more her body and mind deteriorate until she's rendered to a humanoid husk."

Then the galaxy pointed at the necklace in Eclipsa's hands as he added, "However, judging by how it appeared after the necklace was taken off, I believe this thing has a special attribute that renders that hunger inside Andromeda either heavily subdued, or outright negated, while also giving her a little bit of fat in her body in order to hide her skeletal appearance."

"So, in other words, the necklace not only gives her powers over water and ice, but also cancels her instinctive hunger? And gives her a few pounds to boot?" Meteora recapped, earning a "sure let's go with that" shrug from the galaxy. "I didn't think there was a magical object capable of doing that."

"And I can't believe Febe would allow Andromeda's hunger to reach such depths!" Eclipsa stated. "Without this necklace, she's not even sentient: She's just a rabbid animal!"

The Queen of Spades took a deep breath. "I mean, that's technically a good thing, because Oberon can only possess her if she's sentient, but still... leaving her in that state so the empress doesn't get another puppet..."

Moon put a hand on Eclipsa's shoulder. "Shometimes, there'sh only sho much we can do for chertain people. Perhaps Febe realizhed thish and ushed the necklace as a last reshort?"

Eclipsa narrowed her eyes. "That better be the case. And Moon, please go back to the camp and rest, seriously."

The Queen of Spades then turned to the eating teenager, and took the chance to put the necklace back on her neck, causing her to slow down a bit just as she finished eating the tail.

Once there was nothing left of said tail but bones, Jackie's eyes turned back to normal and she blinked twice as she realized she was no longer at the camp.

"Hm? Where am I?" the girl asked. "What happened?"

"Andromeda, what's the last thing you remember?" Eclipsa asked.

Jackie hummed and scratched her chin. "I remember talking with Omnitraxus while in his dimension, but after that, everything goes blank."

Omnitraxus raised an eyebrow. "Even the part where you suggested to befriend Eclipsa by fighting her?"

"Fight with Eclipsa? Why the hell would I want to do that?!" Jackie snapped, folding her arms and looking sternly at Omnitraxus as she added, "We both just went through a war, I'm not dumb enough to give her a reason to start a new one!"

"So it was Oberon's idea all along," Eclipsa narrowed her eyes and shook her head. "That damn little insect was playing us for fools."

"Oberon? Played along?" Jackie raised an eyebrow. "Why are you talking about that as if I already knew about it?"

"Andro... Jackie, we'll explain everything to you some other time, okay?" Eclipsa replied, getting a shocked look from the teenager as she added, "For now, let's all go back to the camp and have a goodnight's rest, okay?"

After a second in silence, Jackie smiled and asked, "Did you just call me Jackie?"

Eclipsa, realizing what she said, blushed and looked away as she snapped, "Take us back already, Omnitraxus!"

The sentient galaxy chuckled, said "Sure thing!" with an amused tone, and snapped his fingers, returning everyone back to the camp to rest, ending the little bout between the Queen of Spades and the Great Magical Godchild of Time and Space.


	42. Demons and Suns

**Okay, last chapter, we had an epic fight between Eclipsa and Jackie, probably not nearly as epic as anything that has happened before, but hey, I'm not trying to top myself with every single fight scene: If I did that, this would be like the Transformers franchise.**

 **A word of silence for all the ships sunk due to the mentioning of the cursed words.**

 **Anyway, right now, this chapter focuses on Janna and Marco, with a little bit of Tom and Mina on the side. That should give you an idea of what's coming up next.**

 **Before that, though, let's answer some reviews:**

 **1) Nobody245: Oberon's a girl. XD**

 **And now, to the chapter!**

* * *

The team of Lekmet, Marco, Janna, and Brittney were at the public park, the girls setting up a couple of planks for the goatman to use as practice while the boy explained to him:

"Alright, Lekmet, normally I would refuse to teach you martial arts because, let's be honest, there's no reason a highly powerful being like you needs to learn physical combat."

Lekmet nodded in agreement.

"But, you insisted, and so I might as well teach you some basics," Marco shrugged. "Okay, so for starters, let's do a karate chop."

The boy and the goatman walked to the planks Brittney and Janna put in place. Once there, Marco raised his hand and said:

"You have to put your hand like this, and then, do as I do."

Marco turned towards the plank, raised his arm with the palm spread out, then took a deep breath before he shouted as he swung his arm down:

"Hya!"

The boy struck the plank, not only splitting it in half, but causing the plank's halves to catch fire, which slowly consumed the wood as Marco and Janna realized what happened, with the planks reduced to dust seconds afterwards.

"Who, cool! You burned it!" Brittney chirped, clapping as she added, "I didn't even know you could hit a plank hard enough to catch fire!"

"Brittney," Janna blurted, getting a "yes?" from the girl in response. "Wood doesn't catch fire with a normal chop, no matter how hard its hit."

Brittney's excited smile turned into a shocked frown as she and Janna turned to look at Marco, who was looking at his hand with surprise.

Lekmet was also looking at Marco's hand, but he seemed more neutral about it. Almost as if he wasn't surprised at all that the boy could do that.

"U-Um, that's not s-supposed to happen," the boy remarked, shaking off the shock as he said, "You're just supposed to swing it down, got it?"

The goatman nodded, but just as Marco moved in to give him another lesson, his phone rang, and he quickly checked if he had gotten a message or something.

Marco, upon seeing not only someone was calling him, but who was calling him, growled, "Ugh, dang it."

"Who is it?" Brittney asked.

"It's Mrs. Mina," Marco answered.

"Wait a minute, Mina? The one in charge of the Monster Defense Class or whatever its called?" Janna asked as the boy answered the phone. "Didn't you knock her out back during-"

"Shush, she's answering," Marco said before he focused on the phone. "Hello, Mrs. Mina?"

"Mr. Diaz?" Mina answered from the other end. "I'm afraid I need you to come to my house right now. I have something to ask you."

Marco hummed. "Okay, how am I supposed to go there if I don't know where it is?"

"It's a purple house down an apple from the police station," Mina answered. "You know where that is, right?"

"I-"

"Good, go there, find a purple house, knock and I'll let you in. Don't keep me waiting."

With all that said, Mina hung up, and the boy saved his phone, groaning, "She hung up."

"Classic Mrs. Mina," Brittney remarked, shaking her head with a smile. "Straight to the point and without wasting any time."

"Sorry Lekmet, looks like our lesson's going to be cut short," Marco told the goatman. "I have to go see what the heck is it that Mina wants."

Lekmet bleated and waved his hand with an understanding motion, upon which the boy took it as a sign to begin his search for Mina's house.

"What do you think Mina wants from him?" Brittney asked Janna.

The demonic human shrugged. "Whatever it is, it's probably something related to one of her conspiracy theorists, so we shouldn't get involved."

Then, with a cue from absolutely nobody, a fiery portal near the trio and from there came out a carriage that was pulled by entirely skeletal horses, also showering in flames.

"You're seeing that too, right?" Janna asked Brittney.

"The skeleton horses pulling the carriage? Yeah," Brittney nodded. "Even if they're magical, I can't help but find them impractical."

And soon afterwards, the royal inside the carriage came out, revealing himself to be Tom Lucitor.

"Tom?!" Janna chirped up.

"Hello there, Janna," Tom greeted, adjusting his bowtie as he walked to her. "Long time no see."

"Yeah, tell me about it," Janna replied, putting her hands on her hips. "What brings you to Echo Creek? Looking for Marco?"

The demon king chuckled, then shook his head. "Well, I'm actually here for _you_."

Brittney immediately stood up and walked to Janna's side, saying, "Janna, who's this guy?"

"Oh right, you two haven't met," Janna got between the duo, and pointed at each other. "Brittney, this is the current king of the Lucitor Kingdom, in the Underworld, Tom Lucitor. And Tom-"

The king bowed down. "This is Thanatos, right? The Great Magical Godchild of Beginnings. A pleasure to meet you as well."

"Huh, you're quite polite for a demon," Brittney remarked, flinching once she realized what she said. "No offense."

"Well, somebody has to be the white sheep of their kind," Tom quipped, his left eye twitching as he stood up. "Anyway, I came here to bring Janna back to the Lucitor Kingdom, so she can continue her demon training."

"Whoa, hold it right there: What are you talking about?" Janna asked, folding her arms and raising an eyebrow. "Where did this "Demon training" stuff come from?"

"With the whole "Mewni Invasion" deal done and dealt with, for better or for worse, that means that everybody can go back to their normal lives, at least until the next magical threat inevitably comes along," Tom explained, grabbing Janna's hand as he added, "Therefore, we need to take advantage of this time of peace in order to get you through some more training, so you can be a good queen when you're old enough."

Janna broke off from Tom's grasp and took a couple steps back. "Listen, I know I agreed to basically become your daughter through drinking your blood, but you can't just appear out of nowhere and yank me back to your kingdom like that! The least you could do is ask nicely!"

"But, I did," Tom scratched the back of his head. "Did I do something wrong?"

"Tom, I think what Janna's trying to say is that she wants to learn more about the situation before making a decision," Brittney said, taking a step forward. "After all, you're trying to take her to the underworld

"Oh no, I did consult her beforehand," "In fact, I put her on hold

"What!?" Janna snatched the phone. "Give me that!"

The demonic human turned to the phone and put it close to her ear. "Mrs. Diaz, are you there?"

"Yes," the woman answered from the other end with a deadpan tone.

"Is what Tom's telling me true?!" Janna asked sternly, and slightly shakingly. "Did you agree to

"Yes," Mrs. Diaz answered, this time sounding a bit more exasperated.

"Why!?" Janna yelled.

"Janna, you're the princess of the Lucitor Kingdom now, for better or for worse, and you have duties to tend to," Mrs. Diaz sternly answered. "As much as I'd like to discuss this Tom further, I'm not in a position to be recklessly heading into stressful situations. So I could only talk with him for a little bit before I had to agree to him."

"But you didn't even ask me how I felt about it!" Janna whined. "That's so unfair!"

"Right, and heading to the demon kingdom without my permission nor my knowledge, then drinking a demon's blood in order to be able to hold a demonic sword said to corrupt those it thinks of unworthy, is supposed to be fair to you?" the woman growled, sending a chill down Janna's spine. "Not to mention you also used the same sword to summon practically undead Mewmans in order to add to the war effort, only to barely get to use them, which is good because things were chaotic enough as is."

Janna covered the phone, turned to Tom and angrily asked, "How did you tell her?"

Tom shrugged, "She asked me to tell her everything, so I did just that."

Janna narrowed her eyes at the king, then turned back to the phone, "M-Mrs. Diaz..."

"Janna, enough, you're going to the Lucitor Kingdom, you'll learn to be the princess, and then queen, of demonkind, and that's the end of the conversation."

With that said, Mrs. Diaz hung up, and the demonic human handed Tom his phone back while also giving him a saddened look.

Clearly, she wanted some more reasons to go through with it, prompting the demon king to explain:

"Ever since Dad died, everyone in the Lucitor kingdom has grown increasingly more and more concerned over the future of the royal family. Since, by proxy, you're my daughter, and thus the princess, that means they're also worried about you."

"But I can't just abandon Earth like an outdated videogame console," Janna replied, folding her arms. "I have so much stuff here I can't leave behind: My friends, my family, my school-"

"Your test subjects, your guinea pigs, your favorite pranking victims," Brittney said with an oblivious smile.

Janna rolled her eyes. "Yeah, thanks for the reminder, Brittney."

"I'm going to ignore that statement," Tom said, rubbing his forehead. "Listen, is there anything I can do to convince you to come with me?"

Hearing the guy was willing to give her a shot at staying, Janna smiled and suggested with a shrug:

"How bout a little sparring match? For old time's sake?"

Brittney and Lekmet exchanged looks, while Tom raised an eyebrow and said:

"I'm all ears."

 ** _Back with Marco..._**

The boy reached the purple house Mina spoke about, and he caught his breath before he knocked the door.

"Come in, the door's open."

The boy took a deep breath, opened the door, and went inside only to be greeted by Mina, standing in the middle of the living room, flashing a serious glare with her hands on her hips as she pointed at Marco and proclaimed:

"Mr. Diaz, we have to talk!"

"I'm sorry, but were you standing in place, holding that pose, waiting for me to arrive so you could point at me like that?" Marco asked as he walked to the couch, saving his hands on his pockets. "Because I don't believe for a second that this is a coincidence."

Mina refused to answer, maintaining the stern glare in her eyes.

"Anyway, this is your house, Mina?" Marco asked as he took a look around. "I honestly thought there would be more punching bags or mannequins or other training stuff around. You know, since-"

The woman glared at the boy. "Shut up and sit down."

Marco shut his mouth and immediately sat down on the couch. Once that was done, Mina folded her arms behind her back and paced back and forth as she said.

"I'm going to be blunt with you, Mr. Diaz. I still remember, vividly, what happened between us during the invasion of Mewni."

Mina narrowed her eyes, sending a chill down the boy's spine. "And no, I'm not forgiving you for it anytime soon."

"R-Right, now that you mention it, how's your eye doing?" Marco asked with a shrug. "D-Did you get it covered up?"

Mina, not taking her angry glare from the voice's gaze, lifted her large bang, revealing a bandage patch where her gem eye used to be.

"I see... well, that's good to know..." Marco took a deep breath. "So, why did you call me here?"

"Well, besides making sure you don't forget I can hold a grudge, I encountered a disturbing rumor when I returned to Earth," Mina sighed, folding her arms behind her back as she walked to the boy. "One that's related to you and your family, so if there's somebody who can confirm or debunk the rumor, it's you."

"Why not call Mom or Dad, though?" Marco asked with a raised eyebrow. "You have their numbers, right? Plus, you three used to go work together, surely you could ask them to confirm or debunk the rumor for you, right?"

"I would, if they didn't hang up every damn time I try to call them!" Mina snapped, coming face-to-face with the boy. "Just answer me something, alright?!"

"S-Sure! W-What is it?" Marco stammered.

Mina slammed her hands against the wall, and leaned closer to Marco until their noses touched, upon which she asked:

"Is Solaria Butterfly, living in your house right now?"

 ** _Back with Tom, Janna, Brittney, and Lekmet..._**

The former two stretched at an arena in the park, while the latter two sat on the benches, ready to witness the incoming battle. However, they weren't so much paying attention to the demon pair itself, as they were just talking with each other.

"And then, when my parents took me to the Zoo, I saw one of the goats and for some reason, I fell in love with it!" Brittney said, with Lekmet nodding as she continued, "I whined to my parents, or well, who I thought were my parents, to buy me one, but they got me a pony instead, saying I would end up loving it more than any old goat."

Lekmet bleeted, pondering what she did with the pony.

"I sold it off to the Diaz family, who then sold it off to become a Warnicorn."

Lekmet let out a bleeted laughter as he brushed the girl's head.

And as that happened, Janna stopped stretching and turned to look at the Thanatos-Lekmet duo, her expression frowning with a sense of envy.

Which was not lost on Tom. "Is something the matter, Janna?"

The girl flinched, shook her head, and turned back stating, "No, nothing's wrong. Now, remind me what are the conditions."

"If you can beat me, you can stay in Echo Creek," Tom stated as he finished stretching. "But, if I'm the winner, you have to come to the Underworld, and be the princess of the kingdom, alright?"

"Alright then, sounds good to me," Janna smirked with confidence. "I'm ready when you are!"

Tom suddenly appeared in front of the girl and, with a sly smile, remarked, "Are you sure about that?"

Janna flinched, then regained her composure before she threw a kick at the demon king, who blocked it with a kick of his own. A few more kicks were exchanged between the demonic duo until Janna tried to throw a punch instead, wherein Tom responded by leaping high in the air, land behind the girl, and gently slap her back, causing her to nearly hit the floor face-first.

Fortunately, Janna quickly regained her balance and turned around, only to see Tom coming face-to-face with her again, sporting a smile before he threw a punch at her face, this time causing the girl to hit the ground.

The demon king folded his arms behind his back and walked closer to the girl, leaning over her just as she opened her eyes and swung her legs up, aiming for his face, or at least his chin.

He dodged this too, naturally, and spoke as the demonic human stood up:

"Come on, did you really think I would fall for something that simple?"

Janna narrowed her eyes, then cartwheeled straight towards Tom before she jumped, raised her leg, and swung it down as she hit the ground, though the demon king dodged the strike at the last moment.

What he didn't dodge, however, was the ensuing force of the wind, as Janna's strike created a crater on the ground, sending enough strength at the demon king's way to send him back a couple of feet.

"Oh dang, that's the first time that's happened," Janna remarked as she jumped away from the crater. "First Marco's chop sets the planks on fire and now this?"

"Janna! You're going to get the authorities' attention if you keep using that much force!" Brittney shouted, getting the demons' attention. "Why don't you and Tom change to another fighting style?!"

Janna smirked and gave the girl a thumbs up. "You read my mind!"

The demonic human reached for her back, and took out a familiar weapon: The Blood Moon Sword, which she held tightly as she aimed it at Tom, and got ready to leap towards him.

"I see, so you've decided to bring in the swordplay," Tom answered, gaining a smile. "Fair enough, let's fight like swordsmen!"

The demon king opened his mouth, stuck his hand inside, and promptly took out a sword whose blade was literally on fire.

"Whoa, cool!" Janna chirped. "Teach me how to do that!"

"The consequences of failing to summon this properly is various impalements on your organs, and potentially burn most of them to ashes," "Do you still want to learn how to do it."

Janna looked flabbergasted for a moment, then swallowed her shock and waved her hand. "I'll learn it some other day."

Tom folded his arms. "In other words, never."

Janna gritted her teeth, gripped the blood moon sword, and ran straight towards Tom as the king took a battle stance, ready to counter Janna's swordsmanship.

Something that he demonstrated with ease, as Janna basically, mindlessly swung the blood moon sword repeatedly trying to get a hit on Tom, while the king blocked each and every strike, before swiftly swinging the flaming sword, successfully cutting Janna's cheek a little, though nothing more than that.

Janna, angered at the strike, immediately continued her barrage of sword swings at the demon king, who kept blocking the strikes until his and Janna's swords clashed again, with the pair evenly matched.

That is until Janna's eyes glew blue as she narrowed them, allowing her to overpower the startled demon king and send him flying away with a swing of the sword, though he managed to regain his footing a few moments later.

After that, the Blood Moon Sword gained a blue, icy aura in its being, and Janna crouched down before she jumped up high and plummeted towards Tom, who held his flaming sword high to block the incoming attack.

The clash itself came moments later, and small bolts of lighting spread across the arena as the Blood Moon Sword and Tom's sword clashed, the demon king shaking as Janna continued to push her sword forward.

Eventually, Tom's eyes glew red and he shouted some indecipherable gibberish, probably a demonic chant, before the flames surrounding the sword grew stronger and gave him enough strength to swing it once, sending Janna and the sword flying off into a tree, and ending the fight right then and there.

Janna, now back to normal, slid down and dropped the blood moon sword as Lekmet and Brittney ran up to her, the latter using her healing powers to... well, heal her.

As for Tom, his sword dissipated into light as he looked at the demonic princess, surprised at what just happened.

" _I can't believe it... she forced me to use more than just my base power in order to win..._ " the demon king took a deep breath. " _I guess I should've expected that, though, she's a Great Magical Godchild after all._ "

The demon king shook off the shock, and walked to Janna, who narrowed her eyes once she saw him.

"Did you get stronger or something?!" Janna snapped as she stood up and dusted herself. "How come I wasn't able to lay a single hit on you?!"

"You haven't really trained your demon powers since you got them, so there was no way you were going to win against me unless I held back," Tom answered as she walked to the girl, and extended his hand towards her. "In fact, the closest you got to hit me was with that icy aura attack or whatever you call it, I actually had to summon some of my demonic powers in order to gain the upper hand again."

Janna immediately chirped up. "So, I got the demon king himself to use desperate measures? That actually makes me feel better!"

Tom rolled his eyes. "Yeah, good for you. Now come on, let's head to the kingdom."

"Heh, yeah," the demonic human folded her arms. "That was part of our deal..."

Janna lowered her head, turned to see Lekmet and Brittney, who looked at the girl with concerned looks. Seeing that, the girl turned back to the king and said:

"Can you give me a couple minutes to say goodbye to everyone?"

"Janna, if you're worried you'll never return to Earth, then don't: We'll pay the dimension a visit every once in a while," Tom replied. "Sure, the visits will be infrequent, but-"

"Just five minutes, please," Janna responded. "That's all I'm asking."

The demon king took a deep breath, and responded with a smile:

"Alright then, go and say goodbye to everyone."

 ** _Back with Marco and Mina..._**

The Ex-Mewman, having Marco just confirm her fears of Solaria actually being in Echo Creek, sulked in a corner and pulled her hair as the boy looked at her confused and concerned, saying:

"Is Solaria being in Echo Creek really that bad?"

The purple-haired woman threw a glare at Marco, stood up, and walked to him, snapping:

"I've spent hundreds of years in this dimension, long enough to hope that the harmony between monsters and humans that took so long to cultivate, could remain in peace! And next thing I know, Solaria decides to crash in your house! In the middle of a city where monsters walk among us!"

"Why are you getting angry at me?!" Marco asked, standing up. "I'm not the one who gave her the idea: She came here on her own!"

"That's even worse than if she had come here under someone's orders!" Mina responded with a stern tone. "At least if she was her by someone's request, we could talk to that someone and convince them to tell her to leave, but if she came here by her admission, then she's going to stay no matter what!"

Marco folded his arms and took a deep breath. "Did something happen between you and Solaria that made you this worried about her being here at all?"

"Something between us? More like something about her!" Mina snapped. "Solaria might now know the truth behind the humanoid and the true monsters, but that doesn't change her hatred towards them!"

Mina walked to her window and opened it, revealing some monster children walking outside. "And in case you haven't noticed, Monsters live among us!"

Then she realized where the monsters were walking through. "Hey, get off my lawn, dang children!"

The monster kids ran away crying, and the woman closed the window as Marco replied, "Okay, I can understand where you're coming from, but can't you humor

"Mr. Diaz, I've only just started getting to accept the fact that the city I live in has both monsters and humans in it, and I've been living in this damn city for centuries," Mina replied, folding her arms and leaning against the wall as she added, "How do you expect Solaria, a Mewman queen who's only been here recently, and who can hold a far greater grudge than I do, to accept to live in a city filled with the monsters she detested for so long?!"

Marco fell silent and looked away, uneasy with the fact he didn't have an answer.

"If she stays here, then at best, there might be more than a couple monsters who suddenly disappear with no trace, which will piss off Globgor," Mina added, walking to the boy as she finished, "And at worst, "they" might see her arrival as an excuse to resume operations!"

Marco's eyes widened. "You're not talking about _them_ , are you?""

"Oh, I'm definitely talking about _them!_ " Mina responded. "They did their atrocities in the name of Solaria, and they only stopped when Solaria was gone! Once they realize their "master" has returned, we're going to be in very deep shit!"

"You know, now that you mention it, you never told me where you heard the rumors about Solaria being in Echo Creek," Marco remarked. "Where did you hear them?"

Mina rolled her eyes. "A tiny alchemist told me."

A second later, Mina turned around and whistled, causing River to come out of the kitchen with a chicken leg in hand.

"Your Majesty?!" Marco exclaimed as the king nonchalantly walked to him. "What are you doing here?!"

"I came to this dimension looking for Mina," River explained as he dusted himself. "I asked her if she could join me and... someone else, in order to have some support for... whatever the someone else wants to do."

"Why are you talking about Star as if she was "someone else?" Marco asked, narrowing his eyes and folding his arms. "If that's you joking about the fact she's technically Celena, then it's not funny."

"That's what I told him!" Mina said, putting her hands on her hips. "I mean, I know technically "someone else" could fit her, but-"

"That's besides the point," River stated, swallowing the entire chicken leg before he added, "The thing is, we need Mina's help with something."

"And the thing is, I can't do it!" Mina stated, before she turned to Marco. "Right now, I need to head to the school in order to give your classroom a Monster Defense class."

"But wait, the classes were earlier this morning," Marco pointed out as the woman walked to the door. "Shouldn't the school be closed by now?"

"It should, yes, but Skeeves is forcing me to do extracurricular classes in order to make up for the days I missed," Mina answered, reaching for the doorknob as she added, "But you and your friends don't have to attend them if you don't want to."

The warrioress opened the door, and turned to Marco as she said, "By the way, that wasn't something Skeeves told me to say: I know you're being stressed enough with what's happened since you discovered your true nature, so I'm not going to add to it."

With that said, the woman left the house and closed the door, leaving the boy and the king alone.

"Well, if that's all she wanted, I guess I'll go back to my friend," Marco remarked, saving his hands on his pockets as he turned to the king. "Would you like to come with me, Your Majesty?"

River raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure your friends won't mind it?"

"I doubt it: Brittney became one of the nicest girls I've met ever since she got a magical gemstone embedded to her eye, and Janna might be a little quirky, but she's got her heart in the right place," Marco explained as he and the king walked to the door. "Although, Lekmet's there too, so if you can, try not to get on Brittney's bad side."

The boy opened the door... and found Star standing outside, catching her breath as she looked up, chirped up at seeing Marco and said:

"There you are!"

 ** _Meanwhile, back with Janna, Tom, Brittney, and the cheerleaders..._**

The demonic human had gathered Andrea, Sabrina, Chantelle, Ed, Megan, and by extension Alfonzo and Ferguson in order to say her goodbyes, with Tom and Brittney standing nearby. Mr. Candle was also there.

"These are all the people she wanted to say goodbye to?" the demon king inquired. "I thought there would be, I don't know, a dozen or so people here."

"Janna's got a knack for interacting with others, but that doesn't mean they all stay by her side," Brittney sadly answered. "Some of them became interdimensional fugitives, some became interdimensional criminals, and some others have decided to remain in their dimensions."

Brittney turned to see Janna hugging Mr. Candle as she said, "The ones you see here are basically the only friends she has on Earth, give or take a couple more."

Tom looked at Janna sympathetically as she and the man separated, and she went to the cat-like and the redheaded cheerleaders.

"Sabrina, Chantelle, I already handed ownership of the book and the glasses to you two," Janna said. "But this time, I want to ask you to keep them safe, okay?"

The duo nodded, though not before Sabrina pointed out, "You still have to release our boyfriends from the book, though."

"Yeah, I don't think I have the time for that now," the demonic princess answered. "But, the first time I come to pay Echo Creek a visit, I'll try to release them, I promise."

Chantelle opened the book, and the spirits of Alfonzo and Ferguson were released, who then flew to Janna's side as she asked:

"You heard what I said?"

"No, but we can take a guess," Ferguson answered. "You'll try to free us when you come to visit, and until then, you'll learn to be a dominatrix demon princess, right?"

Janna blushed and held back her laughter. "What?! No! I'm just going to try learn how to be a demon princess!"

"Knowing demon culture, is there a difference?" Alfonzo inquired.

Janna wrapped her arms around the spirits' shoulders as she exclaimed, "You guys are the worst!"

The trio shared a lighthearted laughter for a moment before the spirits parted from the demonic princess, waving goodbye as Chantelle closed the book, returning the spirits to it.

Then, Janna walked to the dark-skinned cheerleader Andrea.

"Andrea, we didn't get to talk a lot, about your sister or anything else, but I'm still going to miss you."

"Same thing," Andrea nodded. "I'll be sure to write a letter to my sister explaining what happened to you."

The duo shared a fist bump as Janna said "Thanks" and then went to the next cheerleader.

"Ed, we have no relationship whatsoever; Friends, lovers, mutual teasers, nothing at all," the princess stated. "Regardless, I want to let you know I'm going to miss you too."

The boy nodded, and he and Janna shared a little hug, followed by Janna heading to the next cheerleader.

"Megan, you're in the same boat as Ed, sadly enough," Janna folded her arms. "Unlike him, though, I'm only going to miss you 'cause you were such a good pranking subject."

Megan promptly slapped Janna hard enough to leave a handprint, her smile unfaltering as she said:

"I'll miss you too."

Janna let out a chuckle, and walked to the last person she had to say goodbye to: Brittney, who tilted her head as the girl took a deep breath, then hugged her.

"Brittney, I'm going to miss you the most out of everyone," the demonic human remarked, tightening the hug as she said, "If you see Marco and Jackie again, be sure to tell them where I am, right? And that when I get the chance, I'll pay you all a visit."

Brittney returned the hug as she said, "But, Janna, I'm going to visit you frequently-"

Janna chuckled. "Don't ruin the moment and read the atmosphere, you doofus."

Brittney lowered her eyelids, patted Janna's back, and said, "I'll be sure to tell them, don't worry."

Then, Janna and Brittney separated, and the princess turned around and waved goodbye at a figure far away, who turned out to be Lekmet, watching over what was happening.

Having said her final goodbyes, Janna walked to Tom, and the king asked:

"Is that all the people you had to say goodbye to?"

Janna nodded.

"Yes, I'm ready. Let's head to the underworld."

Tom opened the carriage, and both he and the princess walked inside, Janna sitting at the window to wave goodbye at her friends as the carriage rode off through a portal, heading straight towards the underworld.

Now heading to a new home, Janna took a deep breath and laid down... until she heard a familiar voice:

"Took you long enough, Alcatraz."

The girl sprung up and looked at the person in the other seat, none other than Hekapoo, resting a suggestive pose with her legs crossed.

"Welcom to the Lucitor family."

Janna stuttered a bunch of gibberish as she tried to process what the fiery redhead could be doing in the carriage, until she turned to the king and snapped:

"Tom! What's she doing here?!"

"She's... the matriarch of the Lucitor family," the demon king answered.

"What?" was all Janna could say.

Tom rubbed his temples and looked away as he added, "Basically, she's my ancestor. And due to our relation, your ancestor as well."

Janna turned back to Hekapoo, who waved hello with a coy smile, and the girl stood silent for a moment before she shook the entire carriage, screaming:

"Whaaaat?!"


	43. Extra Class

**And today we come with another chapter of Wands of Destiny, featuring everybody's favorite underutilized Ex-Mewman warrioress, Mina.**

 **But first, let's answer some reviews:**

 **1) Nobody245:**

 *** No, I don't blame. I'm sorry.**

 *** I don't know, Brittney doesn't have any permanent outerworld residence like Jackie or Janna to be taken to, and no, Lekmet's dimension doesn't count. But she also doesn't have to leave Royal Woods for her safety, like... I nearly said too much. Let's just say she's going to think about it, but won't leave anytime soon.**

 **And now, to the chapter!**

* * *

At the gates of Echo Creek Academy, Mina Loveberry stood and looked at the building past the gates, preparing herself for the arduous task ahead.

The woman took a deep breath, and walked through the gate and into the building, receiving no greetings or, really, any sign that she wasn't the only one there.

Figures, everybody was most likely inside the building already.

So Mina wasted no time going inside, and heading to Miss Skullnick's classroom, where her students were already sitting down, waiting for her arrival.

Even Alfonzo and Ferguson were sitting down, with the open book resting on the latter's desk.

"Hi there, Mrs. Mina!" Alfonzo greeted, waving goodbye.

"What happened to your eye?" Ferguson inquired. "Come to think of it, why isn't one of your bangs covering your eyes like usual?"

"These past few days were quite exhausting, boys: I lost the thing that I had to hide, and I'm covering a big, gaping eye socket behind the bandage, so be grateful for that," Mina answered sternly. "As for why I'm not resting, that stupid asshole Skeeves is forcing me to work in order to compensate for the time I was absent."

"Yeah, you two should know that already," Andrea remarked with a shrug. "I mean, we're all here for an extracurricular course on the Monster Defense class."

"And, luckily for everyone involved," Mina smirked. "I know just the type of monster to use for today's class."

 ** _Later, outside the school..._**

Mina and Sabrina stood at the sides of a whiteboard with the initials of the class written on it, while everybody else sat on the benches and listened as the warrioress explained:

"Today's exercise will be related to Pixies. More specifically, it will be related to how to avoid being ensnared by a Pixie's trap, and what to do in case a confrontation is inevitable."

Mina snapped her fingers, and Sabrina erased the words and quickly drew a male and a female Pixie.

"As you all know, Pixies are incredibly small in size, able to sit on a human's palm basically. However, they also possess wings and the ability to fly, turning them into what I like to call "magical, cannibalistic, blue-skinned flies."

Mina then took a quick glance at the picture and calmly told the redhead, "Make their eyes a little bigger, Mrs. Backintosh."

The redhead obliged, and Mina continued her explanation:

"One of their most notable features is their wide, detailed eyes, which they use in order to hypnotize potential prey into following them into their realm of Pixtopia."

Sabrina erased the drawing of the male Pixie, then added a couple "waves" to the female Pixie, with some humans drawn next to her for comparison.

"Once the hypnosis has taken place, it's very difficult to break free, regardless if the prey is physically stronger than the Pixie: Only those with a particularly strong will, or who possess an intense feeling of love towards someone, can break out of the trance-"

"Um, Mrs. Mina?" Megan blurted, raising her hand. "Why did Sabrina erase the Male Pixie? Don't both genders use hypnosis to catch their prey?"

Mina shook her head. "No, I'm afraid hypnosis is a tactic employed only by the females."

Sabrina erased the current drawing, and drew a closed flower, with a shadowed figure of a Pixie inside of it.

"The males, meanwhile, prefer to hide in the flowers of any magical realm close to their home realm of Pixtopia, where they wait for any potential prey to walk by."

Then Sabrina drew a picture next to the flower, showing a human with their eyes closed.

"Naturally, the easiest way to avoid being hypnotized is to completely ignore the Pixie, although their buzzing around and tempting voices can make this task relatively difficult."

Sabrina then drew a pair of hands to cover the human's ears.

"Their voices can be avoided by simply covering your ears, since they're only as loud as whispers. And finally..."

Sabrina erased the drawings, and quickly drew... a Pixie being swatted by a fly swatter.

"Pixies, with their high connection to magic, are physically weak, so a strong-enough swing of a fly swatter should be enough to knock them out, and once caught, they'll have a hard time freeing themselves."

Mina folded her arms behind her back and Sabrina took her time erasing her drawings.

"So, to recap: Pixies are like flies, small and buzzy, but with cannibalistic tendencies. The females hypnotize their prey, while the males hide and wait until a potential victim arrives. The ways of dealing with them includes not looking at them in the eye, blocking your ears to ignore their whispering, and either grabbing them tightly or swatting them hard enough."

Sabrina finished erasing the drawer just as Mina pushed it away, taking the redhead along with her and causing a worried Chantelle to run after her, while Mina nonchalantly asked:

"Any questions?"

Andrea raised her arm.

"Yes, Mrs. Daedalus?"

"That's not my surname," Andrea growled before she asked calmly, "This is probably something that should be obvious, but is it more likely for pixies to target prey who are opposite in sex to them?"

Mina raised an eyebrow.

"What I mean is, would a female Pixie be more likely to hypnotize a male prey instead of a female, and would a male Pixie be more likely to jump on a female prey than a male prey?"

Mina took a deep breath and walked towards the cheerleader, saying:

"Mrs. Daedalus, you need to get your mind out of the damn gutter."

Andrea narrowed her eyes. "I already told you that's not my surname!"

Mina responded by leaning closer to the cheerleader, glaring as she growled:

"Pixies don't care about your bodies! They don't care about reproduction, let alone intercourse, with entities they just see as a snack!"

The teacher leaned back and walked back and forth, eyeing the students as she further explained:

"You may think that you'll have to worry about the Pixies deciding to have fun with you instead of eating you, that despite the baffling size difference, the Pixies will just use magic to work things out."

Mina stopped by stomping the ground and turning to the students, shouting:

"But let me be perfectly frank with you: The only size difference that Pixies care about, is the size of their mouths compared to your entire bodies! Have I been clear?!"

The cheerleaders frantically nodded.

"Then let's get going with the next part of the class before you say another ridiculous thing like that!"

Mina clapped her hands twice, and the field properly transformed, first by separating the whole side with three walls, with the interior of those walls also changing as Mina explained:

"The left side of the course has several miniature robotic replicas of female Pixies, while the right side of the course is filled with closed flowers, with male Pixie replicas ready to pounce on you. Everyone will separate by gender and then go through the course that's the opposite of your gender: Left side for boys, right side for girls. Your objective is to go through the course without being ensnared, kissed, or otherwise bitten by the Pixies."

Mina narrowed her eyes.

"Because once a Pixie bites sentient flesh, they never stop until they hit the bone."

Then, the sounds of the courses being created stopped, and the students separated as Mina raised her arm, paused, then swung it down as she yelled:

"Go! Go! Go!"

The doors opened, and both teams ran into their courses as Mina crouched down and jumped high to not only go above the entire course, but land right at the end of it, more specifically at the end of the guys' course.

So the woman just spend her time waiting for the teams to arrive, with the first one to come out being the team of the guys... who were all covered in kisses, and tiny bite marks.

Even Alfonzo and Ferguson, who again, were spirits.

"So, how did we do, Mrs. Mina?" Ferguson asked.

"Yeah, how did we do?" Alfonzo chirped.

"Well, the good news is that, since you're spirits, the Pixies can't do anything to you since you lack a material body to eat," Mina answered, her smile slowly turning into a disappointed frown as she added, "Which is good, 'cause if this had been a real run through a Pixie-infested forest, you'd have been eaten a dozen times by now."

"Wow... we did that bad?" Ferguson inquired.

"I think the bigger question is if you really enjoyed being eaten alive, Mr. O'Durguson," Mina said as she grabbed the spirit's chin, and made him look straight to her. "Did you love being eaten alive by a bunch of tiny cannibalistic flies?"

The redhead shivered. "I-I didn't."

Mina forced Ferguson to look at Chantelle and Sabrina, the latter with a hand on her forehead as the former checked to see if she was gravely injured. Mina, meanwhile, kept looking at him as she said:

"Did you love being eaten alive while you and your best friend's girlfriends were none the wiser?"

"O-Of course not!" Ferguson exclaimed. "I'd be mortified if that happened!"

Mina pulled the fat spirit's head back to face her, and stated:

"Then, for everyone's sake, never look at a Pixie in the eye, never listen to their whispers-"

Suddenly, Mina yelled:

"And put some damn effort into avoiding being caught and eaten alive!"

Mina released the redheaded spirit and stood up, growling "That goes for the rest of you too!" as the girls finished their run, with Andrea being the first to come out, followed by the rest of the cheerleaders.

"Alright, it looks like you and your team went through the "Care to tell me how you went through the trial without being ensnared, Mrs. Daedalus?"

"Would you stop calling me that?" Andrea responded, before revealing her axe to the woman. "Anyway, I remembered my sister brought me an axe as a gift, and I decided to use it for today's test-"

"Yeah, great, fascinating explanation, but I'm not asking you what you used," Mina replied. "I asked, how did you and everybody else get through the trial without being ensnared."

"Simple, I cut down the closed flowers I saw, then cut them down for extra measure," Andrea explained. "And while I was doing that, the rest of the team followed me."

Mina smiled wide. "I see, so that's what you did. Congratulations, Mrs.-"

Andrea frowned.

"Andrea."

The cheerleader chirped up.

"You may return to your seat, and take a rest with everyone."

Andrea was congratulated by her fellow students... for a moment before Mina sternly added:

"And then all of you but Mrs. Andrea will go through the course, again!"

The students gasped in shock.

"Mrs. Mina, what are you on about?!" Andrea exclaimed. "We all went through and passed the course!"

"No, _you_ passed the course, kid: Everyone else decided to play it safe and have you deal with it, while they walked behind you like a bunch of pansies!" Mina folded her arms. "I can admire the fact you chose to attack the Pixies head-on, but I won't let your classmates get away with their cowardice! They'll rest and recover their energy, wait until the course has been repaired, and then they'll go through it, without you to deal with it for them!"

"But-!"

Mina took a step forward and glared straight into Andrea's eyes as she asked:

"But what, Mrs. Andrea?"

The cheerleader, however, stood her ground and narrowed her eyes, returning the glare to the woman while finding herself unable to return the words, or at least, return them in a way that managed to convince the woman to back down.

"Let me put it another way, Mrs. Andrea: How do you think your team would've gone through the course, if you hadn't dealt with the problem first?"

Upon hearing the question, Andrea backed away and looked everywhere as she tried to think of an answer, only for Mina to put a hand on her shoulder and say:

"Kid, when there are large groups of people, everybody's going to designate someone as the "leader" just so they don't have to feel like they have to deal with their own problems. And if they don't learn to deal with their problems on their own, then the only things that awaits them, will be an early death."

Mina patted Andrea's back and walked away, arms folded behind her back as Andrea watched her leave and some of her classmates walked to her side, joining in her watch.

 ** _Teacher's Lounge, after the re-do..._**

Mina kicked the door open and groaned as she jumped straight to one of the rotating chairs, stopping just as she raised her legs and put it on top of the table in front of her.

"Ugh, good lord, that was stressful," Mina remarked, placing her arms behind her head. "Well, at least I can take a little breather before I have to deal with those little brats again. I wish I had a way of calming down my stress somehow-"

"Please don't put your feet on top of the table."

"Shut up, voice in my head!" Mina snapped. "I've gotten into enough shit thanks to you; I'm never listening to you again!"

After she didn't get an answer right after, Mina opened her eyes and looked in front of her to find Mr. Candle sitting on the other side of the table, holding a coffee cup and looking at the warrioress with an angry look.

"Candle?!" Mina exclaimed, putting her legs down. "What are you doing here?!"

"Well, Janna left to go to the underworld, so she could learn how to properly act as the princess of the Lucitor Kingdom," Candle explained, taking a sip of his coffee as he paused to let the woman process what he said. "It's a bit of a long story-"

Mina folded her arms. "I don't want to listen to it."

"Good to know," Mr. Candle nodded. "Anyway, she left, and since I felt a little bit depressed about it, I thought I could come here and, I don't know, do something else with my time before I go back home."

"I know, how about you look at the bright side, and start working on thinking about something other than that kid?" Mina suggested with a shrug. "I mean, I swear, for the past few years, Janna's the only thing you've ever talked about: Mrs. Ordonia this, Mrs. Ordonia that, I almost thought you had a secret romance behind the scenes!"

Mr. Candle loudly put the coffee cup and clenched his fist. "Mina, for the last time, the reason I think about Janna so much, is because I was designated as her caretaker by-"

Mina immediately shushed the man. "Be careful! One of the students might be eavesdropping!"

Mr. Candle rolled his eyes and took a deep breath. "How's the extracurricular activity with your students doing?"

"I wish I could say it went good, but they're worse than I expected," Mina shrugged. "The guys basically let themselves be kissed and ensnared by the Pixies, and the girls decided to let Andrea deal with the course so they could save themselves from the potential danger, so I had no choice but to make everybody but Andrea do it again."

Mina rested her chin on her palm. "And to make matters even more outrageous, one of the students practically asked me if any of the Pixies would be likely to screw them first before killing them."

Candle's eyes widened. "They did?!"

"Well, they didn't say it outright, but the tone of their question brought that idea in mind," Mina answered, taking a deep breath. "And before you panic, no, I didn't tell them the truth, I mean, how could I do it?"

"Perhaps you could just sugarcoat the original fact, then slowly take off that coat in a way that your students will understand?" Candle suggested, frowning with concern. "I mean, you know you'll have to tell them about the more... unsavory facts about certain monsters eventually, right?"

"I know, Candle, but it's not as simple as you make it sound!" the purple-haired warrioress answered. "I mean, how am I supposed to sugarcoat the fact, yes, if they fail to avoid being ensnared by the Pixies, they'll be screwed left and right and, in the case of the females, forced to breed more Pixies in order to create another hybrid, before they're eaten alive!?"

Candle's expression slowly turned back to neutral as the warioress added:

"And I can't tell them the truth head-on, either, because last time I did that, my students were traumatized for life, and I nearly got fired!"

Mina rested her chin on the table. "I wish there was something I could do to ease my stress right now!"

Mr. Candle just calmly sip his coffee as he looked at the warrioress, earning an exasperated look from her. She then got on top of the table, on all four, and looked sternly at Candle as she said:

" _Oh_ , how I _wish_ there was _something_ I could do to _ease my stress_!"

Mr. Candle narrowed his eyes. "Mina, please get off the table."

The woman promptly snatched the cup of coffee, put it away, then lifted her skirt and jumped straight to Candle, crossing her legs at his neck and pulling her skirt down on his head as she yelled:

"Get the damn hint already, Candle!"

"And what the hell do you want me to tell you?!" the man shouted, his words muffled by Mina's loving berry. "To pick up a cigarette and smoke it?!"

Mina immediately chirped up. "I guess that would could work!"

The woman leaned back, put her hands on the table, then lifted and threw Candle over at the wall, with the guy sliding down and almost hitting the ground before he broke his fall with his hands and his knees.

And once he opened his eyes, he got the nasty surprise of seeing Mina underneath him, smiling obliviously as she asked:

"But where am I supposed to get a cigarette?"

"Did you have to put us in such an awkward position to ask that!?" Candle snapped as he stood up and dusted himself.

"Well, I wanted to hear your answer a bit more clearly," Mina answered as she stood up and dusted herself as well. "And besides, I can't walk out of the room with my berry in your face, can I?"

"Listen, the only place I can think of that could have a cigarette is Skeeves' office," Candle said as he went to his seat, grabbed his coffee, and sat down. "But I don't think Skeeves would allow any teacher in there."

Mina scratched her chin and smiled slyly. "So, he wouldn't allow any _teacher_ in there, huh?"

The woman left the room while pondering about that thought, leaving Candle to think he finally had a moment to relax.

Then she returned and asked, "By the way, did you look up my skirt while I had my feet on the desk? Or when I had it in your face?"

Mr. Candle paused to take a deep breath. "No, I didn't."

Mina's look slowly turned into exasperated disappointed. "Alright then, but next time you have the chance, take it: You have to start thinking of other panties besides Mrs. Ordonia's!"

Mina slammed the door shut just as Mr. Candle stood up and uttered a bunch of furious gibberish before he took several deep breaths, and sat down, rubbing his forehead.

 ** _Echo Creek Academy Hallways..._**

Sabrina and Chantelle walked together at the hallways, the former stretching as the latter looked at her with worry.

"You shouldn't be stretching that much, Sabrina," the cat-like teenager said. "You could end up breaking a bone or two if you keep doing that."

"Sorry, Chantelle, It's just that it's been so long since I actually got physically hurt like that," the redhead answered as she put a stop to the stretching. "But, if I'm honest, I'm not surprised that Mrs. Mina's the one who hurt me-"

"Wow, what flattering words."

The duo stopped and looked forward to see Mina standing in front of them, arms folded behind her back and with a smile in her otherwise amused-looking face.

"H-Hello, Mrs. Mina!" Sabrina nervously greeted. "Is there something we-"

"Listen, I need someone to do me a favor, and after what I told Mrs. Andrea and your classmates, I think you're the only ones left to do it for me," Mina sighed. "You know about cigarettes, right? I need you to bring me one of those, and a lighter."

The cheerleading duo exchanged looks, then turned back to the woman as Chantelle asked, "You're nyot planning to smoke it, are you, Mrs. Mina?"

The warrioress' left eye twitched, and Sabrina promptly jabbed Chantelle in the shoulder.

"No, I'm planning to set the damn thing on fire to try create a new obstacle for my class," Mina growled, only to suddenly snap, "Of course I plan to smoke it, you dumbasses!"

"But, that's bad for your health!" Sabrina stated, with Chantelle nodding in agreement. "And considering you're still recovering from your eye injury-"

Mina stomped the ground, causing the cheerleaders to take the same stance a military person would do after hearing "Attention!"

"Alright, listen you two, because I'm seriously not in the state of mind to repeat this: I'm feeling like utter garbage right now, my head is killing me, and I need to get my hands on whatever can help me get rid of the pain temporarily."

Mina walked closer and looked at the duo straight in the eye.

"The friend I called suggested me to try smoke something, and I have no other option to numb this headache I got, nor the energy to get it myself."

Then, with a threatening glare, she finished:

"So shut up, search for the things I asked, and come back to my office when you get them."

Mina then separated from the girls, and marched straight to her office as the cheerleading duo headed to the principal's office.

"I can't tell if I should be happy or scared that Mrs. Mina's back to her old habit of switching personality at random."

"How about we mix them together?" Chantelle casually suggested. "We'll call it "Scappy" and it'll be a big hit!"

Sabrina shook her head. "I think you're missing the point, Chantelle."

The cat-like cheerleader shrugged with a little smile, and the duo spent a couple minutes in pure silence until Sabrina suddenly remarked:

"Say, once we're in the office, maybe we should look a little bit more, even after we get the cigarettes."

Chantelle raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"I mean, while we're there, we should try find out if Skeeves forced Mina to work on his own, or if he was forced to do it," the redhead clarified. "Skeeves does a lot of questionable things, but even he wouldn't force someone to work while they're injured."

"I can think of a couple of people who would beg to differ," Chantelle chuckled. "But speaking seriously, are you sure it's a good idea to stay there to look for clues?"

"I know it's risky, but someone has to investigate it sooner or later," Sabrina argued. "I mean, if we don't take the chance to find out what's going on _now_ , who knows how long it'll be before someone else does it?"

Chantelle hummed. "You have a point there."

Eventually, the duo reached the door to the principal's office, which had a slightly ominous presence about it, mostly coming from the moths flying around it.

The duo exchanged looks and nodded before Sabrina grabbed the doorknob, and opened the door... only to find Skeeves was nowhere to be seen. In fact, the only living beings in the room were moths similar to the ones outside.

"Good, he's not here!" Sabrina chirped as she and Chantelle went inside. "Let's take advantage of this and check the area as quickly as possible!"

"If you say so," Chantelle said, only for a moth to catch her attention once it landed on her nose. "Hey, what do you think these things are?"

"Whatever they are, as long as they don't attack us, we shouldn't pay attention to them," Sabrina answered, focusing solely on the section she was searching. "Now please, start looking for anything that looks suspicious."

Chantelle looked up and opened her mouth, just as the redhead added:

"Besides the moths."

The cat-like cheerleader frowned and put a pouty face... moments before she glanced at Skeeves' desk and found something quite peculiar.

"Hey, Sabrina?" Chantelle walked to the redhead and poked her shoulder. "I think I found something suspicious."

Sabrina turned to look at what Chantelle was talking about... and the duo immediately walked to it and took a closer look.

It was a blue gem, whose top was faceted to resemble a simple diamond. Not a kite, not a royal one, not even one of those stupidly complicated facets, it was just a simple, four-faceted diamond.

Not only that, but it was surrounded by a blue aura, one that somehow emitted whispers that, though the girls couldn't understand what they were saying, felt like it was inviting them to grab it.

Sabrina and Chantelle backed away, and exchanged looks...

 ** _Later, at Mina's Office..._**

The cheerleading duo entered the office and walked to Mina's desk, chirping up the seemingly bored warrioress.

"Oh hey, you came back much sooner than I expected!" Mina remarked as she clasped her fingers and rested her chin on the back of her hands. "Did you get the cigarettes and the lighter?"

The duo exchanged worried looks, then looked away as they answered, "Not really..."

Mina frowned and raised an eyebrow. "Did you find _anything_ at all?"

"All we managed to find was a strange, diamond-shaped stone," Sabrina answered.

"One that was also glowing rather temptingly..." Chantelle nervously added.

Mina's eyes widened, apparently knowing about what the girls were talking about. Then, she slammed her fist down her desk and exclaimed:

"Girls, don't tell me you took _that_ thing from his office!"

"No, we didn't, thank goodness," Sabrina answered, letting Mina sigh in relief before she reached for her back. "But we did take a picture of it."

Mina's eyes grew wide as Sabrina took out the picture and Chantelle said, "We thought you'd have an idea of what it could be."

Mina grabbed the picture, and once she recognized the object, she dropped the picture and uttered the only sentence she could think of:

"Holy shit."


	44. Severing

**"Curse of the Blood Moon" helped me with this chapter, seriously.**

 **I originally thought about what would happen if I had made this fanfic back during season one or two, rather than the later parts of season three. But after that episode, I'm glad I took so long to make it.**

 **Also, 70 follows, and 67 favs. I'm very happy so many people are enjoying the story :)**

 **Okay, this'll be the last chapter I post for a while, because I need to get my plot straightforwarded, or clearer in a sense. I do have an idea on where we could go from here, but I want to try focus on what's most important and what isn't.**

 **And of course, you can tell me whether I should focus on the princess Janna plot for now, or switch to someone else like Jackie.**

 **But first, let's answer a review:**

 **1) Nobody245: i know, and I'm sorry. I'll try to minimize or remove the filler from now on.**

 **And now, to the chapter!**

* * *

At the Lucitor Castle's dinner room, Janna and Hekapoo sat on opposites sides of the table, while Tom and Wrathmelior sat on the side.

The former sported a stern glare towards the latter, who rested her cheek on her palm as she returned the glare with a confident smile.

"Okay, so I believe an explanation of what's the meaning of this is necessary," Tom took a deep breath. "Hekapoo over here, is the original demon, and practically the maker of the Lucitor Kingdom."

"Greetings to meet you at last, sweetie," Hekapoo remarked with a sly smile. "I'm still surprised Tom had to resort to a blood adoption in order to make a heir, but I'm happy nonetheless."

"Blood adoption?" Janna asked, raising an eyebrow at Tom. "What's she talking about?"

Wrathmelior began speaking, but stopped once Janna clearly told her:

"Queen Grandma, I'm happy you want to tell me about it, but I have no idea what you're saying."

The queen nodded in response, and Tom promptly explained:

"Since drinking my blood turned you into a relative of mine, and there's no knowledge about your biological parents, we had the right to adopt you into the family, by underworld standards anyway."

Tom folded his arms. "And yes, this was something that I hrought up to Mrs. Diaz while talking to her."

Janna rubbed her forehead. "I still can't believe she accepted to hand me over to you so easily: And that she didn't even tell me about it beforehand!"

"Well, you can't blame her for not asking your opinion: Considering everything that has transpired up to this point, she probably didn't find the time to tell you about it," Hekapoo shrugged and shook her head. "Either that, or she wanted to get rid of you as fast as possible."

Janna lowered her head and folded her arms, asking:

"Can I ask you something?"

Tom frowned. "Mrs. Diaz wouldn't get rid of you, kid-"

"No, that's not it," Janna sighed. "Although, I do wish to talk to you about it sometime later."

The girl looked down at her seat, which was a small demon whose back she was sitting on. "Why are we using Lesser Demons as seats?"

The princess turned to Wrathmelior, who was sitting on a giant, skeletal seat. "While Grandma gets to use a chair?"

Wrathmelior, apparently happy at being called "Grandma," clapped her hands and giggled as her cheeks glew bright pink.

"Wait, she likes it when I call her that?" Janna raised an eyebrow. "Back on Earth, if I called any woman Grandma, they'd snap at me at best!"

"You're her granddaughter now in a sense, so it's only logical that she'll be happy that you see her as a grandmother," Tom answered. "As for why she's using a chair: There's no Lesser Demon big enough to accomodate for her size, and even Greater Demons are still too small, so we had to carve a chair out of the skeletons of both Greater and Lesser Demons for her."

"Isn't that a bit uncomfortable, though?" Janna questioned.

Wrathmelior spoke once again, but this time Janna had a clear idea of what she was trying to say. Although, the fact it was a deadpan "you get used to it" didn't calm her much.

"As for why we're using Lesser Demons as seats, this is their punishment for their transgressions against the kingdom," Hekapoo added, crossing her legs before putting some more weight on her seat. "But don't worry, it's not like they mind it. In fact, I think they like it."

Janna glowered. "You do realize that if they like this, then they're going to try and get this punishment again when they eventually get out, right?"

"No, because it's very clear in here that those with repeated offenses get killed," Hekapoo took a deep breath. "But, we've just talked about enough nonsense for now, how about we focus on the important stuff?"

Janna raised an eyebrow and everybody turned to the fiery redhead as she explained:

"If you want to be a good princess, you have to be able to play the role of the dominant. After all, you're one of the rulers of the kingdom now: Being submissive towards your subjects will only lead to trouble."

Hekapoo cracked her knuckles. "Which is why we need to split your soul in half!"

Janna narrowed her eyes. "Yeah, no, go to hell."

"We're already in a hell, sweetheart," Hekapoo answered.

"Then go to Super Hell for all I care!" Janna snapped as she stood up and walked away. "I'm not trusting you with my own volition, much less my soul, after everything that happened in Mewni!"

"J-Janna, wait!" Tom exclaimed as he stood up.

The boy then teleported to the door in a ball of fire, stopping the girl on her tracks as he said, "What Hekapoo is trying to say, is that there's a method that can allow your demon and human sides to coexist, without technically making you into a paradox!"

Janna put a hand on her hips.

"I'm all ears, what's this method?"

Next thing Janna knew, she was walking with everybody towards the deeper levels of the castle, all while Tom explained this method he mentioned:

"There's a magical object in the underworld, known as the Severing Stone. It's a magical fragment from the body of the Great Magical Being of Separation, which is capable of splitting everything: Relationships, living beings, inanimate objects, even the soul itself."

"I don't understand why we had to wait until we were walking to it before you could explain it to me, but oh well, you do you," Janna shrugged and folded her arms. "However, even if that thing can sever anything, how can it fix the whole "dominant and submissive" problem?"

"Well, when it comes to souls, not only can the Severing Stone sever it into multiple pieces, but it can repair said soul in order to make one half more dominant than the other," Hekapoo explained. "The dominant half will get the control of the body and memories of the person, while the submissive half gives the person some powers, assuming they have powers anyway, and acts as a second personality if the person is knocked out but not killed."

"So that's what you used on Marco, huh?"

The demonic family stopped on their tracks and turned around to see Janna, suddenly sporting glasses, which she adjusted as she explained:

"Marco told us he had done a demoncism in order to deal with his monster-side problems, but it's well documented that a demoncism only works on those with demon blood, which Marco lacks. So, you took him to the severing stone, and once the soul was split in half, you made the monster side submissive and the human side dominant, so that even when Marco uses his monster powers, his monster personality won't come through unless he willingly calls for it!"

Janna grabbed the edge of the glasses, took them off, and swayed her hair before she asked, with a sly look:

"Am I wrong?"

Tom and Hekapoo blinked once in shock, while Wrathmelior applauded Janna's statement.

"Your detective skills are adorable, sweetie," Hekapoo remarked, earning a glare from the demon princess. "However, while it'll certainly help once people start trying to kill you, that's just one trait of several you need in order to be a good monarch."

Janna rolled her eyes and threw the glasses away, only to realize what she was doing and turn around, where she luckily saw a demon grab the glasses before they fell.

"Thanks for lending me your glasses, nameless Demon!" Janna said.

"Princess Lucitor used my glasses!" the demon cheered up. "I'm going to merge my eyes with them so I never take them off again!"

Janna winced at the suggestion, but quickly shrugged it off and continued talking with everyone until they reached the room with the Fabled Severing Stone.

The stone itself was held on a pillar, shaped like a blue crescent moon.

"So, this is the Severing Stone, right?" Janna pondered as she walked towards it.

"I am indeed the Severing Stone, Princess Janna," the stone spoke.

"No freaking way, did the stone just speak to me?" Janna pointed at the artifact and turned to Tom. "Why did it talk to me?"

"We believe a piece of the sentience of the Great Magical Being resides in the crystal," Tom explained. "Now go on, touch the crystal and go through the severing process."

With that said, Janna walked towards the stone, but before she did anything else, she asked:

"Severing Stone, is there a limit to how many times a soul can be severed before its destroyed?"

" _What the hell is she asking?!_ " though the Lucitors in unison.

"Well, initially, the soul can be severed for as many species' DNA that the person has: A hybrid between two species can have their soul severed once, while those with DNA of more than two can have it severed multiple times, that is unless they wish for the soul pieces to be severed immediately."

"I see, that's good to know," Janna folded her arms. "Alright then, cut my soul in three pieces."

" _Three pieces?!_ " Tom thought.

"A demon piece, a human piece, and one that's a mix of both," Janna continued. "As for the status of the soul pieces, I want the human one to be dominant, the demon one to be submissive, and the mixed soul to be a switch, got it?"

" _I understand wanting a piece to be dominant, but why her human piece instead of the demon piece?!_ " Hekapoo thought to herself, only to come to a horrifying conclusion. " _Wait... she's not trying to turn into_ that _, is she?!_ "

"Would you like any of the pieces to exist separately from you?"

Janna smiled. "The switch piece."

"Very well. The severing will commence as soon as you touch my figure."

The girl folded her arms and looked at the crystal with an angered look, causing them to reply:

"Look, I'm not the one who made up the rules, I just follow them, now please touch me so we can get this over with."

Janna rolled her eyes and uttered "Pervert" as she grabbed the crystal, beginning the severing with her screaming out loud as her eyes, and eventually her whole body, in a red light, with the light increasing in intensity until it forced the Lucitors to cover their eyes.

As for Janna, the girl was engulfed in flames which slowly calmed down as they split into three Jannas, with two of the Jannas merging back into each other while the other morphed into a spherical figure.

Soon after, the light fully died down and the Lucitors opened their eyes to see Janna's new look.

Janna looked exactly the same as she did back when she was a human, she even had her old trusty beanie with her. However, there was one particular detail about her that wasn't quite how it was back then.

Her pupils were a solid Red, instead of Brown.

Once she moved around and stretched a bit, the girl smiled as she snapped her fingers, causing one of her fingertips to summon a little fireball that dissipated after a few seconds.

Then, she jumped high, and fire emerged from the bottom of her feet, letting her hover on the air as she giggled, then flew around as she had a laughing fit of pure joy, all while the demonic family were left speechless.

"I can't believe it," Tom uttered. "A human with demon powers?"

"No, that's not _just_ a human with demon powers," Hekapoo stated, sternly narrowing her eyes. "It's the combined existence of a human and a demon, sharing the same body: A Weredemon!"

"Oh right!" the weredemon said as she landed on the ground. "I should try accessing my other form!"

Janna closed her eyes and clenched her fists, and moments later, the girl changed her physical look.

Now she had pale red skin that almost looked Pink, sharp claws for fingernails, red highlights on her black hair, and five eyes: The main ones had red sclera and yellow eyes, the ones acting as eyebrows were pure yellow, and the one in her forehead had yellow sclera and slit-pupils.

Finally, she had red club-shaped cheekmarks.

Oh and she was more... Shapely in a sense.

"Ohoho yes!" Janna chirped, before she turned back to her human form. "I could get used to this."

And while Tom and Wrathmelior smiled, Hekapoo gritted her teeth and stomped to Janna, hissing:

"You have to redo the whole severing all over again, Alcatraz! They're never going to accept a Weredemon as their ruler!"

"Then I'll tell them to deal with it!" Janna responded. "You said it yourself: In this world, it's to dominate, or be dominated! And as the "Daughter" of Tom over there, I'm pretty sure I hold enough power to reduce anybody dumb enough to try and dethrone me, into a quivering sub!"

Hekapoo gritted her teeth and muttered some angry nonsense as Tom took a step forward and asked:

"What are you planning to do with the switch soul?"

This caught everyone's attention as the soul went to Janna's side.

"Give me a moment."

The girl touched the soul, and it morphed from a white orb into a red one and back.

"Yes, it works!" Janna chirped. "The soul can switch between a human and a demon soul!"

"And what use could you have for that?!" Hekapoo growled.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Janna smugly replied as she walked past Hekapoo and went to Tom's side. "I already got the " hurting my own friends" and "meddling with dark powers" bits down, might as well add "Withdrawing important information" to the list."

Janna, realizing what she said, looked at Tom with a nervous smile before, a couple seconds, she was with the king and queen in another room, with Hekapoo nowhere to be seen, explaining what she meant:

"Back when we were little, Marco and I were part of a group of friends: Him, me, Jackie, Brittney, and two other boys, Alfonzo and Ferguson," Janna explained, lowering her head as she added, "But the last two weren't as close with Jackie or Brittney as they were with me."

"How so?" Tom asked.

"Brittney felt too shy, so she didn't like it when they gave her attention, and Jackie had her eyes set on Marco, so whenever they flirted with her, she got quite annoyed," Janna chuckled at the memories. "They could only get close to Marco, who didn't mind them flirting with him on ocassion, and me, who helped them play some pranks every once in a while."

"Heh, Mrs. Diaz mentioned something about you and those boys being the problem children of the bunch," Tom asked, laughing a little as Janna looked away, trying to contain her laughter. "How true is that?"

"It's true, but honestly, I was much worse than them," Janna laughed a little. "Meddling with spellbooks, summoning demonic creatures, staying awake way past my bed time, you say it, I did it. Ferguson and Alfonzo were mostly just my lackeys."

Janna frowned. "And thanks to me, and one of my stupid ideas, I got them in deep trouble."

Wrtahmelior frowned and spoke, with Tom promptly translating:

"What do you mean?"

The girl took a deep breath, and thusly explained:

"During one of our many misadventures, we came across a library in Echo Creek. Now, the thing is that, Mrs. and Mrs. Diaz had donated some books to it for monsters seeking spellbooks or something, but we didn't know that."

Janna folded her arms.

"So, we blindly checked the books and came across one with a Spades symbol on the front."

"A Spades symbol?" Tom repeated. "Isn't that the symbol of the Queen of Spades, Eclipsa?"

"Again, we were dumb little kids back then," Janna stated. "Anyway, we meddled with it, I said one of its spells out loud and..."

The girl paused, causing the Lucitors to frown.

"Thanks to me, they were trapped inside a book, and although I knew how to undo the spell..." Janna took a deep breath. "For some reason, it never worked. And I got quite an earful from Mrs. Diaz when she found out."

"Maybe you just didn't want to let them go?"

Janna lowered her eyelids and her eyes began to quiver as she thought about it. So, seeing the girl in this state, Tom wrapped his arm around her and said:

"I'm sure you'll find a way to free them someday, and we'll help you to find it if necessary."

Janna smiled and grabbed Tom's hand. "Thanks for that, Tom, I really needed that."

"Hey, I'm your father now, so I'd appreciate it if you called me dad or father," the demon king replied. "Now, with your submission problem hopefully dealt with, next thing in the agenda is to train your powers."

"Got it, Dad," Janna said with a sly smile. "Give me some minutes to regain my composure, and I'll be there."

The demon king nodded, and he and the queen left Janna to relax, with the girl taking a deep breath before she snapped her fingers again, creating a tiny fireball from her fingertips once more.

"I can't wait to show this to the rest of the group," Janna said with visible glee.

"Be sure to show it to Jackie first."

The princess turned around and saw a blue cloaked figure approaching her, causing her to generate a fireball and prepare to throw it.

"It's okay, Janna Loveberry," the cloaked figure spoke. "I'm not here to cause you trouble."

Janna's fire dissipated. "Loveberry? My surname's Ordonia, or Ordonia-Lucitor if we want to be very specific."

"The Lucitor is genuine, but the Ordonia, not so much," the figure remarked. "However, that's not what I'm here to talk to you about."

"Okay, before we talk about whatever you it is you want," the girl folded her arms. 'Who are you?"

"I'm a friend of Jackie Lynn-Thomas," the cloaked figure answered.

Janna lowered her hand and raised an eyebrow as the figure took off the cloak, revealing himself to be Oskar, who said:

"And she needs to use the Severing Stone."


	45. It's Over

**Trust me, I would've loved nothing more than to continue updating this story, but I'm afraid it has to come to an end due to several circumstances.**

 **Allow me to explain myself: I've been writing fanfiction for over half a decade now, about seven years, and in all those years, I've only ever taken a detour to try and write original content about a couple times, and if we're talking about multi-chapter stuff, it can pretty much be counted in one hand: Ever since then, I've had over a dozen ideas in my head that I wanted to try out, but I never could get myself to write them, probably because I also had several fanfics to work with.**

 **There's also the fact that the show this fanfic is based on, Star vs the Forces of Evil, is ending this year, on May 19th to be exact. And sure, just because a show ends doesn't mean the fandom is going to vanish in an instant: I'm pretty sure fandoms like Gravity Falls and Phineas and Ferb still have content being produced for their shows, despite the fact they ended years ago.**

 **But still, continuing this long-term story when I know the show's about to end, and probably give me much more stuff to work with, just doesn't sound good in my opinion. Honestly, it probably would've worked better if I had started around season 2 or 3.**

 **I would've evolved into a freaking seer by then, but I'd still have more energy to finish the story than I do now.**

 **Also also, I can't help but feel this no longer feels like a fanfic anymore. I mean, it's one thing to change a contextual bit of lore in the show to make a new story.**

 **It's another thing to practically go from changing a bit of the lore, to turning everything completely different.**

 **So, a part of me wants to try and use the story I was going to use for this fic, but do it for an original story. And, I think that would be better over all.**

 **I'm not saying I'm not sad over this massive prick move over the fans who've stayed with this story for so long, I'm just saying that, I think it's about time I move on and try to write an original story for once.**

 **This doesn't mean I'm cancelling every other fanfic I have, I'm just gonna rework this as an original story, while trying to find time to focus on the other fanfics.**

 **I know it sounds dumb, but hey, I've been known to do dumb things before. XD**

 **So... yeah, that's about it. Wands of Destiny is going to be reworked, no longer as a fanfic, but as an original story. Where I'll post it, I don't know, I'll work things out over a long run, but I hope you understand where I'm coming from when I say this.**

 **That's it from me today, and that's it for this story. Have a nice day everyone, and I hope I can bring smiles to your faces someday again. :)**


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